Public Act 90-0236 of the 90th General Assembly
Public Act 90-0236
HB0635 Enrolled LRB9002779MWpc
AN ACT concerning child care services, amending named
Acts.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is
amended by changing Section 5.15 as follows:
(20 ILCS 505/5.15)
(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a
delayed effective date)
Sec. 5.15. Daycare; Department of Human Services.
(a) For the purpose of ensuring effective statewide
planning, development, and utilization of resources for the
day care of children, operated under various auspices, the
Department of Human Services is designated to coordinate all
day care activities for children of the State and shall
develop or continue, and shall update every year, a State
comprehensive day-care plan for submission to the Governor
that identifies high-priority areas and groups, relating them
to available resources and identifying the most effective
approaches to the use of existing day care services. The
State comprehensive day-care plan shall be made available to
the General Assembly following the Governor's approval of
the plan.
The plan shall include methods and procedures for the
development of additional day care resources for children to
meet the goal of reducing short-run and long-run dependency
and to provide necessary enrichment and stimulation to the
education of young children. Recommendations shall be made
for State policy on optimum use of private and public, local,
State and federal resources, including an estimate of the
resources needed for the licensing and regulation of day care
facilities.
A written report shall be submitted to the Governor and
the General Assembly annually on April 15. The report shall
include an evaluation of developments over the preceding
fiscal year, including cost-benefit analyses of various
arrangements. Beginning with the report in 1990 submitted by
the Department's predecessor agency and every 2 years
thereafter, the report shall also include the following:
(1) An assessment of the child care services, needs
and available resources throughout the State and an
assessment of the adequacy of existing child care
services, including, but not limited to, services
assisted under this Act and under any other program
administered by other State agencies.
(2) A survey of day care facilities to determine
the number of qualified caregivers, as defined by rule,
attracted to vacant positions and any problems
encountered by facilities in attracting and retaining
capable caregivers.
(3) The average wages and salaries and fringe
benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State,
computed on a regional basis.
(4) The qualifications of new caregivers hired at
licensed day care facilities during the previous 2-year
period.
(5) Recommendations for increasing caregiver wages
and salaries to ensure quality care for children.
(6) Evaluation of the fee structure and income
eligibility for child care subsidized by the State.
The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly
shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the
Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of
Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and the
Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit,
as required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly
Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with the
State Government Report Distribution Center for the General
Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of
the State Library Act.
(b) The Department of Human Services shall establish
policies and procedures for developing and implementing
interagency agreements with other agencies of the State
providing child care services or reimbursement for such
services.
(c) In cooperation with other State agencies, the
Department of Human Services shall develop and implement, or
shall continue, a resource and referral system for the State
of Illinois either within the Department or by contract with
local or regional agencies. Funding for implementation of
this system may be provided through Department appropriations
or other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and
referral system shall provide at least the following
services:
(1) Assembling and maintaining a data base on the
supply of child care services.
(2) Providing information and referrals for
parents.
(3) Coordinating the development of new child care
resources.
(4) Providing technical assistance and training to
child care service providers.
(5) Recording and analyzing the demand for child
care services.
(d) The Department of Human Services shall conduct day
care planning activities with the following priorities:
(1) Development of voluntary day care resources
wherever possible, with the provision for grants-in-aid
only where demonstrated to be useful and necessary as
incentives or supports.
(2) Emphasis on service to children of recipients
of public assistance when such service will allow
training or employment of the parent toward achieving the
goal of independence.
(3) Maximum employment of recipients of public
assistance in day care centers and day care homes,
operated in conjunction with short-term work training
programs.
(4) Care of children from families in stress and
crises whose members potentially may become, or are in
danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent.
(5) Expansion of family day care facilities
wherever possible.
(6) Location of centers in economically depressed
neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service centers with
cooperation of other agencies.
(7) Use of existing facilities free of charge or
for reasonable rental whenever possible in lieu of
construction.
(8) Development of strategies for assuring a more
complete range of day care options, including provision
of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers,
which will enable a parent or parents to complete a
course of education or obtain or maintain employment.
Emphasis shall be given to support services that will
help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school and
to services for participants in the Project Chance program of
job training conducted by the Department.
(e) The Department of Human Services shall actively
stimulate the development of public and private resources at
the local level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization
of federal funds directly or indirectly available to the
Department.
Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or
associations shall be involved in planning by the Department.
(f) To better accommodate the child care needs of low
income working families, especially those who receive
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or who are
transitioning from TANF to work, or who are at risk of
depending on TANF in the absence of child care, the
Department shall complete a study using outcome-based
assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child
care needs, including but not limited to: child care homes;
child care facilities; before and after school care; and
evening and weekend care. Based upon the findings of the
study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998,
that identifies the various types of child care needs within
various geographic locations. The plan shall include, but
not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians
in need of non-traditional child care services such as early
mornings, evenings, and weekends; the needs of very low
income families and children and how they might be better
served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet
the needs and schedules of low income families.
(Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97.)
Section 10. The Illinois Health Facilities Authority Act
is amended by adding Section 4.24 as follows:
(20 ILCS 3705/4.24 new)
Sec. 4.24. To assist the Department of Human Services in
establishing a low interest loan program to help child care
centers and family day care homes serving children of low
income families under Section 22.4 of the Children and Family
Services Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on
July 1, 1997.