HB4728 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 39119 KTG 69259 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4728

Introduced 2/6/2024, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 1305/1-90 new

Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to implement a Child Care Collaboration Program by no later than July 1, 2024 to facilitate high quality collaborative programming between child care and other early care and education providers and funding streams in order to increase, through collaboration, the quality and quantity of early care and education for families in Illinois who are eligible to receive child care assistance under the Department's Child Care Assistance Program. Provides that to be eligible to participate in the Child Care Collaboration Program a provider must meet certain eligibility requirements, including: (i) be a profit or nonprofit early childhood center or licensed family child care home; (ii) receive or be eligible to receive child care assistance funding; and (iii) be a part of an existing or pending collaborative arrangement with a Head Start or Early Head Start Program or with a pre-kindergarten program funded by the Illinois State Board of Education through the Early Childhood Block Grant. Sets forth approvable models of collaboration and application requirements for providers seeking approval of their existing or proposed child care collaboration program. Provides that each eligible provider that receives Department approval of its existing or proposed child care collaboration program shall receive an annual contract from the Department that allows for the advance payment of child care services at a rate that is based on the license capacity of the program. Provides that a family's eligibility for collaboration services under the approved child care collaboration program shall be determined in accordance with all current child care rules, with certain exceptions, including, but not limited to: (1) a family's eligibility period for collaboration services shall be up to 36 months to coincide with the family's eligibility for a Head Start or Early Head Start Program or an early childhood or preschool program funded through the Early Childhood Block Grant; and (2) no child care co-payments shall be assigned or collected from the family. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is amended by adding Section 1-90 as follows:

(20 ILCS 1305/1-90 new)

Sec. 1-90. Child Care Collaboration Program.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Child care collaboration" means any braiding of Illinois child care subsidy funds or programs with other early childhood funds or programs to create higher quality full day, full year services for eligible families with young children.

"License capacity" means the maximum number of day care children under the age of 6 permitted in the facility at any one time.

(b) The Department shall implement a Child Care Collaboration Program by no later than July 1, 2024 to facilitate high quality collaborative programming between child care and other early care and education providers and funding streams in order to increase, through collaboration, the quality and quantity of early care and education for families in Illinois who are eligible to receive child care assistance under the Department's Child Care Assistance Program. To be eligible to participate in the Child Care Collaboration Program a provider must:

(1) be a profit or nonprofit early childhood center or licensed family child care home;

(2) receive or be eligible to receive child care funding under the Department's Child Care Assistance Program through a child care contract or a child care certificate;

(3) be a part of an existing or pending collaborative arrangement with a Head Start or Early Head Start Program or with a Preschool for All Program, Preschool for All Expansion Program, or Prevention Initiative program funded by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) through the Early Childhood Block Grant as authorized under Section 1C-2 of the School Code;

(4) serve children under the collaborative arrangement in one location for their full day of care; and

(5) use child care subsidy funds braided with other early childhood funds to cover day services not just auxiliary services such as parental training services.

(c) Approvable models of collaboration include the following:

(1) Two or more center-based agencies. Collaborative arrangements between child care and Head Start or ISBE pre-kindergarten centers in which services are provided and children receive their care in one location.

(2) Early childhood providers and family child care homes or networks. Collaborative arrangements between child care and Head Start or ISBE pre-kindergarten programs using family child care homes or home networks in which services are provided and children receive their care in one location.

(3) One early childhood provider, 2 types of funding. Child care and Head Start or ISBE pre-kindergarten programs that receive the other type of funding to provide services and children receive their care in one location.

(4) Use of child care certificates. Collaborative arrangements in which Head Start or ISBE pre-kindergarten programs use the child care certificate system in which services are provided and children receive their care in one location.

(d) To obtain Department approval of its existing or proposed child care collaboration program, a provider must submit an application as prescribed by the Department and provide the following information:

(1) Program enhancements. A detailed explanation of how the collaboration improves or will improve the quality of early care and education under the existing or proposed child care collaboration program, including, but not limited to, improvements in staffing patterns and qualifications, enhanced curriculum and educational experiences, outcomes for children, comprehensive services and family engagement, and compliance with additional quality standards, such as Head Start Program Performance Standards, Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards, National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, NAEYC Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards and Assessment Items, or ExceleRate Illinois. A description of any unique features of the collaboration and a clear explanation on how program enhancements are a direct result of the collaboration.

(2) Continuity of care. A description of how the schedule of care in the collaboration model enhances services to families, including how the hours of care and days of the week are determined. A description of how children served by the collaboration program are ensured stability and continuity of care, both in location and staffing.

(3) Community collaboration. A detailed explanation of how the collaboration is coordinated with the local early childhood community, including, but not limited to, service referrals, communication or information sharing, shared training, and shared resources. A description of how the collaboration is based on a community assessment, the community assessment process used, the need for child care slots in the community, the availability of other services, and how the collaboration coordinates, rather than competes, with other providers.

(4) Service information. A brief description of the provider's total operations, including, but not limited to, locations, overall number of classrooms or homes, and all other programs the provider operates.

(5) Organizational capacity. A brief description on how long the provider or child care collaboration program has been in operation, the provider's previous work with partners, the provider's recordkeeping, reporting, and monitoring systems, and the provider's plan for continuous quality improvement.

(e) Each eligible provider that receives Department approval of its existing or proposed child care collaboration program shall receive an annual contract from the Department that allows for the advance payment of child care services at a rate that is based on the license capacity of the existing or proposed program.

(f) If the conditions of provider eligibility in subsection (b) are met and the provider's child care collaboration program is approved by the Department, a family's eligibility for collaboration services under the approved program shall be determined in accordance with all current child care rules under 89 Ill. Adm. Code 50.230 and 50.235, with the following exceptions:

(1) a family's eligibility period for collaboration services shall be up to 36 months to coincide with the family's eligibility for a Head Start or Early Head Start Program or an early childhood or preschool program funded through the Early Childhood Block Grant;

(2) all eligible children shall receive a full day of care and collaboration services regardless of whether the child's parent or other responsible adult is employed on a full-time or part-time basis;

(3) no child care co-payments shall be assigned or collected from the family; and

(4) a family may meet the training and education activity requirement for child care assistance after enrolling in a Head Start, Early Head Start, or ISBE pre-kindergarten program and participating in any training or education activities or services referred to the family by the Head Start, Early Head Start, or ISBE pre-kindergarten center, subject to Department approval.

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