093_HB0037

 
                                     LRB093 02288 ACG 02296 b

 1        AN ACT concerning children.

 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
 
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 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.   The  report   shall   include   an
17        assessment, based on the survey, of any working condition
18        improvements  required  to  in employee benefits that may
19        attract capable caregivers.
20             (3)  The  average  wages  and  salaries  and  fringe
21        benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State,
22        computed on  a  regional  basis,  compared  to  similarly
23        qualified  employees  in  other  but  related fields. The
24        report shall include a determination by the Department of
25        the adequacy of  those  wages  and  salaries  and  fringe
26        benefit  packages  in  assuring  the provision of quality
27        child care.
28             (4)  The qualifications of new caregivers  hired  at
29        licensed  day  care facilities during the previous 2-year
30        period.
31             (5)  Recommendations for increasing caregiver  wages
32        and salaries to ensure quality care for children.
33             (6)  Evaluation  of  the  fee  structure  and income
34        eligibility for child care subsidized by the State.
 
                            -3-      LRB093 02288 ACG 02296 b
 1        The requirement for reporting  to  the  General  Assembly
 2    shall  be  satisfied  by filing copies of the report with the
 3    Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the  House  of
 4    Representatives,  the President, the Minority Leader, and the
 5    Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative  Research  Unit,
 6    as   required   by   Section  3.1  of  the  General  Assembly
 7    Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with  the
 8    State  Government  Report Distribution Center for the General
 9    Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section  7  of
10    the State Library Act.
11        (b)  The  Department  of  Human  Services shall establish
12    policies  and  procedures  for  developing  and  implementing
13    interagency agreements  with  other  agencies  of  the  State
14    providing  child  care  services  or  reimbursement  for such
15    services. The plans shall be annually reviewed  and  modified
16    for  the  purpose  of  addressing issues of applicability and
17    service system barriers.
18        (c)  In  cooperation  with  other  State  agencies,   the
19    Department of Human Services shall  develop and implement, or
20    shall  continue, a resource and referral system for the State
21    of Illinois either within the Department or by contract  with
22    local  or  regional  agencies.  Funding for implementation of
23    this system may be provided through Department appropriations
24    or other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource  and
25    referral   system   shall  provide  at  least  the  following
26    services:
27             (1)  Assembling and maintaining a data base  on  the
28        supply of child care services.
29             (2)  Providing   information   and   referrals   for
30        parents.
31             (3)  Coordinating  the development of new child care
32        resources.
33             (4)  Providing technical assistance and training  to
34        child care service providers.
 
                            -4-      LRB093 02288 ACG 02296 b
 1             (5)  Recording  and  analyzing  the demand for child
 2        care services.
 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.  By  January   1,   2002,   the
 9        Department  shall design a plan to create more child care
10        slots as well as goals and timetables to improve  quality
11        and accessibility of child care.
12             (2)  Emphasis  on  service to children of recipients
13        of  public  assistance  when  such  service  will   allow
14        training or employment of the parent toward achieving the
15        goal of independence.
16             (3)  (Blank).
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.  The  Department  shall
25        coordinate the provision  of  grants,  but  only  to  the
26        extent  funds  are  specifically  appropriated  for  this
27        purpose, to encourage the creation and expansion of child
28        care centers in high need communities to be issued by the
29        State, business, and local governments.
30             (7)  Use  of  existing  facilities free of charge or
31        for  reasonable  rental  whenever  possible  in  lieu  of
32        construction.
33             (8)  Development of strategies for assuring  a  more
34        complete  range  of day care options, including provision
 
                            -5-      LRB093 02288 ACG 02296 b
 1        of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers,
 2        which will enable a  parent  or  parents  to  complete  a
 3        course  of education or obtain or maintain employment and
 4        the creation of more child care options for swing  shift,
 5        evening,  and  weekend workers and for working women with
 6        sick children.  The Department shall encourage  companies
 7        to  provide  child  care  in  their own offices or in the
 8        building in which the  corporation  is  located  so  that
 9        employees  of all the building's tenants can benefit from
10        the facility.
11             (9)  Development  of  strategies   for   subsidizing
12        students pursuing degrees in the child care field.
13             (10)  Continuation  and expansion of support service
14        programs  that  assist  teen  parents  to  continue   and
15        complete their education.
16        Emphasis  shall  be  given  to support services that will
17    help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school  and
18    to  services for participants in any programs of job training
19    conducted by the Department.
20        (e)  The Department  of  Human  Services  shall  actively
21    stimulate  the development of public and private resources at
22    the local level. It shall also seek the  fullest  utilization
23    of  federal  funds  directly  or  indirectly available to the
24    Department.
25        Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies  or
26    associations shall be involved in planning by the Department.
27        (f)  To  better  accommodate  the child care needs of low
28    income  working  families,  especially  those   who   receive
29    Temporary  Assistance  for  Needy  Families (TANF) or who are
30    transitioning from TANF to  work,  or  who  are  at  risk  of
31    depending   on  TANF  in  the  absence  of  child  care,  the
32    Department  shall  complete  a  study   using   outcome-based
33    assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child
34    care  needs,  including but not limited to: child care homes;
 
                            -6-      LRB093 02288 ACG 02296 b
 1    child care facilities; before  and  after  school  care;  and
 2    evening  and  weekend  care.   Based upon the findings of the
 3    study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998,
 4    that identifies the various types of child care needs  within
 5    various  geographic  locations.   The plan shall include, but
 6    not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians
 7    in need of non-traditional child care services such as  early
 8    mornings,  evenings,  and  weekends;  the  needs  of very low
 9    income families and children and how  they  might  be  better
10    served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet
11    the needs and schedules of low income families.
12    (Source: P.A. 92-468, eff. 8-22-01.)