State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB1734

 
                                               LRB9205801MWdv

 1        AN ACT concerning day care.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.  The  Children  and  Family  Services  Act is
 5    amended by changing Section 5.15 as follows:

 6        (20 ILCS 505/5.15)
 7        Sec. 5.15.  Daycare; Department of Human Services.
 8        (a)  For the  purpose  of  ensuring  effective  statewide
 9    planning,  development,  and utilization of resources for the
10    day care of children, operated under  various  auspices,  the
11    Department  of Human Services is designated to coordinate all
12    day care activities for  children  of  the  State  and  shall
13    develop  or  continue,  and  shall update every year, a State
14    comprehensive day-care plan for submission  to  the  Governor
15    that identifies high-priority areas and groups, relating them
16    to  available  resources  and  identifying the most effective
17    approaches to the use of  existing  day  care  services.  The
18    State  comprehensive day-care plan shall be made available to
19    the General Assembly following the  Governor's  approval   of
20    the plan.
21        The  plan  shall  include  methods and procedures for the
22    development of additional day care resources for children  to
23    meet  the  goal of reducing short-run and long-run dependency
24    and to provide necessary enrichment and  stimulation  to  the
25    education  of  young children.  Recommendations shall be made
26    for State policy on optimum use of private and public, local,
27    State and federal resources, including  an  estimate  of  the
28    resources needed for the licensing and regulation of day care
29    facilities.
30        A  written  report shall be submitted to the Governor and
31    the General Assembly annually on April 15. The  report  shall
 
                            -2-                LRB9205801MWdv
 1    include  an  evaluation  of  developments  over the preceding
 2    fiscal  year,  including  cost-benefit  analyses  of  various
 3    arrangements.  Beginning with the report in 1990 submitted by
 4    the  Department's  predecessor  agency  and  every  2   years
 5    thereafter, the report shall also include the following:
 6             (1)  An assessment of the child care services, needs
 7        and  available  resources  throughout  the  State  and an
 8        assessment  of  the  adequacy  of  existing  child   care
 9        services,   including,   but  not  limited  to,  services
10        assisted under this  Act  and  under  any  other  program
11        administered by other State agencies.
12             (2)  A  survey  of  day care facilities to determine
13        the number of qualified caregivers, as defined  by  rule,
14        attracted   to   vacant   positions   and   any  problems
15        encountered by facilities  in  attracting  and  retaining
16        capable caregivers.
17             (3)  The  average  wages  and  salaries  and  fringe
18        benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State,
19        computed on a regional basis.
20             (4)  The  qualifications  of new caregivers hired at
21        licensed day care facilities during the  previous  2-year
22        period.
23             (5)  Recommendations  for increasing caregiver wages
24        and salaries to ensure quality care for children.
25             (6)  Evaluation of  the  fee  structure  and  income
26        eligibility for child care subsidized by the State.
27        The  requirement  for  reporting  to the General Assembly
28    shall be satisfied by filing copies of the  report  with  the
29    Speaker,  the  Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of
30    Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and  the
31    Secretary  of  the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit,
32    as  required  by  Section  3.1  of   the   General   Assembly
33    Organization  Act, and filing such additional copies with the
34    State Government Report Distribution Center for  the  General
 
                            -3-                LRB9205801MWdv
 1    Assembly  as  is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of
 2    the State Library Act.
 3        (b)  The Department of  Human  Services  shall  establish
 4    policies  and  procedures  for  developing  and  implementing
 5    interagency  agreements  with  other  agencies  of  the State
 6    providing child  care  services  or  reimbursement  for  such
 7    services.  The  plans shall be annually reviewed and modified
 8    for the purpose of addressing  issues  of  applicability  and
 9    service system barriers.
10        (c)  In   cooperation  with  other  State  agencies,  the
11    Department of Human Services shall  develop and implement, or
12    shall continue, a resource and referral system for the  State
13    of  Illinois either within the Department or by contract with
14    local or regional agencies.  Funding  for  implementation  of
15    this system may be provided through Department appropriations
16    or  other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and
17    referral  system  shall  provide  at  least   the   following
18    services:
19             (1)  Assembling  and  maintaining a data base on the
20        supply of child care services.
21             (2)  Providing   information   and   referrals   for
22        parents.
23             (3)  Coordinating the development of new child  care
24        resources.
25             (4)  Providing  technical assistance and training to
26        child care service providers.
27             (5)  Recording and analyzing the  demand  for  child
28        care services.
29        (c-5)  The  Department  must,  in  association  with  the
30    resource  and  referral  system  and in consultation with the
31    Child Care and  Development  Advisory  Council,  develop  and
32    implement  an infant-toddler initiative to address the severe
33    shortage of high quality child care in Illinois for  children
34    under 3 years of age.  The Department must annually report on
 
                            -4-                LRB9205801MWdv
 1    the  status  of  the infant-toddler initiative as part of the
 2    State's comprehensive day-care plan.
 3        (d)  The Department of Human Services shall  conduct  day
 4    care planning activities with the following priorities:
 5             (1)  Development  of  voluntary  day  care resources
 6        wherever possible, with the provision  for  grants-in-aid
 7        only  where  demonstrated  to  be useful and necessary as
 8        incentives or supports.
 9             (2)  Emphasis on service to children  of  recipients
10        of   public  assistance  when  such  service  will  allow
11        training or employment of the parent toward achieving the
12        goal of independence.
13             (3)  Maximum  employment  of  recipients  of  public
14        assistance in  day  care  centers  and  day  care  homes,
15        operated  in  conjunction  with  short-term work training
16        programs.
17             (4)  Care of children from families  in  stress  and
18        crises  whose  members  potentially may become, or are in
19        danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent.
20             (5)  Expansion  of  family   day   care   facilities
21        wherever possible.
22             (6)  Location  of  centers in economically depressed
23        neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service  centers  with
24        cooperation of other agencies.
25             (7)  Use  of  existing  facilities free of charge or
26        for  reasonable  rental  whenever  possible  in  lieu  of
27        construction.
28             (8)  Development of strategies for assuring  a  more
29        complete  range  of day care options, including provision
30        of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers,
31        which will enable a  parent  or  parents  to  complete  a
32        course of education or obtain or maintain employment.
33        Emphasis  shall  be  given  to support services that will
34    help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school  and
 
                            -5-                LRB9205801MWdv
 1    to services for participants in the Project Chance program of
 2    job training conducted by the Department.
 3        (e)  The  Department  of  Human  Services  shall actively
 4    stimulate the development of public and private resources  at
 5    the  local  level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization
 6    of federal funds directly  or  indirectly  available  to  the
 7    Department.
 8        Where  appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or
 9    associations shall be involved in planning by the Department.
10        (f)  To better accommodate the child care  needs  of  low
11    income   working   families,  especially  those  who  receive
12    Temporary Assistance for Needy Families  (TANF)  or  who  are
13    transitioning  from  TANF  to  work,  or  who  are at risk of
14    depending  on  TANF  in  the  absence  of  child  care,   the
15    Department   shall   complete  a  study  using  outcome-based
16    assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child
17    care needs, including but not limited to: child  care  homes;
18    child  care  facilities;  before  and  after school care; and
19    evening and weekend care.  Based upon  the  findings  of  the
20    study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998,
21    that  identifies the various types of child care needs within
22    various geographic locations.  The plan  shall  include,  but
23    not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians
24    in  need of non-traditional child care services such as early
25    mornings, evenings, and  weekends;  the  needs  of  very  low
26    income  families  and  children  and how they might be better
27    served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet
28    the needs and schedules of low income families.
29    (Source: P.A. 89-507,  eff.  7-1-97;  90-236,  eff.  7-28-97;
30    90-590, eff. 1-1-99.)

31        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
32    becoming law.

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