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SB2171 Enrolled |
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LRB093 15190 MKM 40786 b |
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| AN ACT concerning professional development.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is amended |
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| by changing Section 10-22 as follows:
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| (20 ILCS 1305/10-22)
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| Sec. 10-22. Great START program.
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| (a) Beginning October 1, 2000 and until July 1, 2004, The |
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| Department of
Human Services shall,
subject to a specific |
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| appropriation for
this purpose, operate a Great START (Strategy |
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| To Attract and Retain
Teachers) program. The goal of the |
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| program is
to improve children's developmental and educational |
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| outcomes in child care by
encouraging
increased professional |
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| preparation by staff and
staff retention. The Great START |
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| program shall coordinate with the TEACH
professional |
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| development program.
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| The program shall provide wage supplements and may include |
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| other incentives
to licensed child care center
personnel, |
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| including early childhood
teachers, school-age workers, early |
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| childhood assistants, school-age
assistants, and directors, as |
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| such positions are defined by
administrative rule of the |
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| Department of Children and Family Services. The
program shall |
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| provide wage supplements and may include other incentives to
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| licensed family day care home personnel and licensed group day |
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| care home
personnel,
including caregivers and assistants as |
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| such positions are
defined by administrative rule of the |
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| Department of Children and Family
Services. Individuals will |
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| receive supplements
commensurate with their qualifications.
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| (b) (Blank).
The Department shall convene a working |
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| committee of its standing Child
and Development Advisory |
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| Council to make
recommendations
by October 1, 2000 on the
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| components of the Great START program. The working committee |
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SB2171 Enrolled |
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LRB093 15190 MKM 40786 b |
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| shall
consist of experts from the child care and
early |
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| childhood education field. In addition, the working committee |
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| shall
include, when necessary, the Secretary of Human Services,
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| the
Director of Children and Family Services, the
Director of |
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| Commerce and Community Affairs, the Director of Employment
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| Security, the Superintendent of the State
Board of Education, |
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| the Chair of the Community College Board, and the Chair of
the |
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| Executive Committee of the Board
of Higher Education, or their |
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| designees.
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| (c) The Department shall, by rule, define the scope and |
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| operation of the
program, including a wage supplement scale. |
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| The
scale shall pay increasing amounts for
higher levels of |
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| educational attainment beyond minimum qualifications and shall
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| recognize longevity of employment.
Subject to the availability |
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| of sufficient appropriation, the wage supplements
shall be paid |
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| to child care personnel in the form of
bonuses at 6 month |
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| intervals. Six months of
continuous service with a single |
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| employer is required to be eligible to receive
a wage |
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| supplement bonus. Wage
supplements shall be paid directly to |
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| individual day care personnel, not to
their employers. Eligible |
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| individuals must
provide to the Department or its agent all |
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| information and documentation,
including but not limited to |
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| college transcripts, to
demonstrate their qualifications for a |
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| particular
wage supplement level.
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| If appropriations permit, the Department may include |
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| one-time signing bonuses
or other incentives to help providers |
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| attract staff,
provided that the signing bonuses are less than |
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| the supplement staff would have
received if they had remained |
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| employed
with another day care center or family day care home.
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| If appropriations permit, the Department may include |
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| one-time longevity
bonuses or other incentives to recognize |
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| staff who have
remained with a single employer.
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| (d) (Blank).
The Department shall evaluate the Great START |
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| program, gather data
on
turnover rates, educational
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| attainment, and other relevant issues, and submit a report to |
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| the General
Assembly on the Great START program by
December 31, |