Welcome to Illinois Project Launch

Illinois Project LAUNCH is a grant program of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which seeks to promote the wellness of young children birth to age eight. Using a public health approach, Project LAUNCH focuses on improving the systems that serve young children and address their physical, emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral growth.


PROJECT GOAL:  all children reach physical, social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive milestones. Project LAUNCH aims to have all young children reach their developmental potential, enter school ready to learn, and experience success in the early grades.
Illinois is one of 16 SAMHSA funded states. Illinois Project LAUNCH will work on the west side of Chicago over the next five years to test evidence-based practices, improve collaboration among child-serving organizations, and integrate physical and mental health services and supports for children and their families. Lessons learned from these communities will guide state level systems change and policy development.