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| | 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4791 Introduced , by Rep. Maura Hirschauer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
| | | Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Expands eligibility under the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation Program to Head Start and Early Head Start programs. |
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| | HB4791 | | LRB104 18416 KTG 31858 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning children.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The Smart Start Illinois Act is amended by |
| 5 | | changing Section 95-10 as follows:
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| 6 | | (325 ILCS 85/95-10) |
| 7 | | Sec. 95-10. Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation |
| 8 | | Program. |
| 9 | | (a) The Department of Human Services shall create and |
| 10 | | establish the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation |
| 11 | | Program. The purpose of the Smart Start Child Care Workforce |
| 12 | | Compensation Program is to invest in early childhood education |
| 13 | | and care service providers, including, but not limited to, |
| 14 | | providers participating in the Child Care Assistance Program |
| 15 | | or in a Head Start or Early Head Start Program; to expand the |
| 16 | | supply of high-quality early childhood education and care; and |
| 17 | | to create a strong and stable early childhood education and |
| 18 | | care system with attractive wages, high-quality services, and |
| 19 | | affordable costs. |
| 20 | | (b) The purpose of the Smart Start Child Care Workforce |
| 21 | | Compensation Program is to stabilize community-based early |
| 22 | | childhood education and care service providers, raise the |
| 23 | | wages of early childhood educators, and support quality |
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| | HB4791 | - 2 - | LRB104 18416 KTG 31858 b |
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| 1 | | enhancements that can position service providers to |
| 2 | | participate in other public funding streams, such as Preschool |
| 3 | | for All, in order to further enhance and expand quality |
| 4 | | service delivery. |
| 5 | | (c) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Human |
| 6 | | Services shall implement the Smart Start Child Care Workforce |
| 7 | | Compensation Program for eligible licensed day care centers, |
| 8 | | licensed day care homes, and licensed group day care homes by |
| 9 | | October 1, 2024, or as soon as practicable, following |
| 10 | | completion of a planning and transition year. As By October 1, |
| 11 | | 2025, or as soon as practicable, and for each year thereafter, |
| 12 | | subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services |
| 13 | | shall continue to operate the Smart Start Child Care Workforce |
| 14 | | Compensation Program annually with all licensed day care |
| 15 | | centers, licensed day care homes, and licensed group day care |
| 16 | | homes, Head Start programs, and Early Head Start programs that |
| 17 | | meet eligibility requirements. The Smart Start Child Care |
| 18 | | Workforce Compensation Program shall operate separately from |
| 19 | | and shall not supplant the Child Care Assistance Program as |
| 20 | | provided for in Section 9A-11 of the Illinois Public Aid Code. |
| 21 | | (d) The Department of Human Services shall adopt |
| 22 | | administrative rules by October 1, 2024 to facilitate |
| 23 | | administration of the Smart Start Child Care Workforce |
| 24 | | Compensation Program, including, but not limited to, |
| 25 | | provisions for program eligibility, the application and |
| 26 | | funding calculation process, eligible expenses, required wage |
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| | HB4791 | - 3 - | LRB104 18416 KTG 31858 b |
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| 1 | | floors, and requirements for financial and personnel reporting |
| 2 | | and monitoring requirements. Eligibility and funding |
| 3 | | provisions shall be based on appropriation and a current model |
| 4 | | of the cost to provide child care services by a licensed child |
| 5 | | care center or licensed family child care home. |
| 6 | | (Source: P.A. 103-8, eff. 6-7-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.) |