102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB4188

 

Introduced 3/4/2022, by Sen. Sally J. Turner, Dan McConchie, Steve McClure and Win Stoller

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
225 ILCS 10/7.11 new

    Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that the Department of Children and Family Services shall adopt and implement rules to adjust licensing requirements, including, but not limited to, worker qualifications for child care providers within child care deserts that reflect local labor market conditions in order to grant local child care providers enhanced hiring flexibility and expand child care into currently underserved areas. Defines "child care deserts" and "child care provider". Provides that the Department shall submit proposed rules to implement the provisions concerning emergency licensing to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules no later than December 31, 2023. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB4188LRB102 26565 AMQ 37255 b

1    AN ACT concerning regulation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Child Care Act of 1969 is amended by adding
5Section 7.11 as follows:
 
6    (225 ILCS 10/7.11 new)
7    Sec. 7.11. Emergency licensing.
8    (a) The General Assembly finds the following:
9        (1) Early childhood education and care programs
10    provide child care, so parents can maintain stable
11    employment, provide for themselves and their families, and
12    advance their career or educational goals.
13        (2) Countless children and families have benefited
14    from child care services and have had the opportunity to
15    enter school ready to learn and succeed.
16        (3) Child care providers across the State are
17    struggling to find qualified child care workers, reducing
18    the facilities' ability to offer quality child care
19    services.
20        (4) Shortages of child care services are particularly
21    acute in child care deserts.
22        (5) Child care deserts, as defined by the Center for
23    American Progress, are census tracts with more than 50

 

 

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1    children under the age of 5 that contain either no child
2    care providers or so few options that there are more than 3
3    times as many children as licensed care slots.
4        (6) Child care deserts exist throughout the State,
5    particularly in rural communities, where working parents
6    struggle to find fully-licensed child care facilities.
7        (7) Adopting more flexible licensing requirements,
8    which put the health and well-being of children at the
9    forefront, would assist working parents to find quality
10    child care services for their families and address the
11    ongoing child care shortages across the State.
12    (b) The Department of Children and Family Services shall
13adopt and implement rules to adjust licensing requirements,
14including, but not limited to, worker qualifications for child
15care providers within child care deserts that reflect local
16labor market conditions in order to grant local child care
17providers enhanced hiring flexibility and expand child care
18into currently underserved areas.
19    (c) As used in this Section:
20    "Child care deserts" means census tracts with more than 50
21children under the age of 5 that contain either no child care
22providers or so few options that there are more than 3 times as
23many children as licensed care slots.
24    "Child care provider" means "day care center" and "part
25day child care facility" as defined in Sections 2.09 and 2.10
26of this Act.

 

 

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1    (d) The Department of Children and Family Services shall
2submit proposed rules to implement this Section to the Joint
3Committee on Administrative Rules no later than December 31,
42023.
 
5    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
6becoming law.