Illinois Policy Intern

Start Early (formerly known as the Ounce) is a champion for early learning and care from a child’s very first moments, so every child has the opportunity to thrive in school and life. Our desire to close the opportunity gap and create more inclusive experiences for our youngest learners guides everything we do. As a leader in early learning and care, we scale our deep expertise across program, policy, and research through partnerships nationwide.

We are recruiting individuals who want to join us in this mission and share a commitment to our core values of appreciation & respect, empowerment, diversity, excellence, learning and communication.

Become part of our rewarding, mission-driven culture! We want our employees to feel empowered, motivated, energized, and passionate about the work they do.

To advance Start Early’s comprehensive policy agenda in Illinois, the intern will support the Illinois Policy Team’s systems-building strategies, which include administrative advocacy, legislative advocacy, coalition and partnership building, thought leadership, leadership and consultation, and outreach and engagement. 

This internship offers: 

• One-on-one weekly reflective supervision.
• Projects tailored to the interests of the intern, when available and appropriate. Including, but not limited to, opportunities to focus on issues related to child welfare, child care licensing, inclusion and early intervention for children with disabilities, perinatal health, home visiting and doula services, early childhood mental health, and economic security. 
• Opportunities to support advocacy efforts at the state and city level through:

o Policy research and analysis

o Data tracking and analysis

o Monitoring and synthesis of city, state, and federal policy developments and issues, including legislative and regulatory proposals. 

o Collaboration with Start Early staff and external partners as needed to advance early childhood systems-building efforts.  

o Collaboration with Start Early staff and external partners to create and distribute strategic documents for a variety of audiences. 

• A paid full-time internship for 8-10 weeks in the summer of 2026 (dates flexible) before the 2026-2027 school year internship to allow interns to be fully immersed in the work of Start Early’s Illinois Policy team. 
• Two days/week paid internship for school year 2026-2027; days of the week flexible; hybrid work environment.

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Enrollment in a master’s degree program in a relevant field (e.g. social work, public policy and administration, law, public health)
• Interest in public policy and/or early childhood issues. 
• Ability to commit to both 8-10 weeks full-time in the summer and two days/week during the school year. 

Pay Rate: $16.60/hour

Start Early is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to our core values by creating an inclusive environment for all staff.