State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_SB0375

      20 ILCS 505/5.15
          Amends the Children and Family  Services  Act.   Provides
      that  the  Department  of  Human  Services  shall  include an
      evaluation of reimbursement rates for State subsidized  child
      care  in  the annual daycare analysis report submitted to the
      Governor and General Assembly.
                                                     LRB9002513PTcw
                                               LRB9002513PTcw
 1        AN ACT to amend the Children and Family Services  Act  by
 2    changing Section 5.15.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The  Children  and  Family  Services  Act  is
 6    amended by changing Section 5.15 as follows:
 7        (20 ILCS 505/5.15)
 8        (This  Section  may contain text from a Public Act with a
 9    delayed effective date)
10        Sec. 5.15.  Daycare; Department of Human Services.
11        (a)  For the  purpose  of  ensuring  effective  statewide
12    planning,  development,  and utilization of resources for the
13    day care of children, operated under  various  auspices,  the
14    Department  of Human Services is designated to coordinate all
15    day care activities for  children  of  the  State  and  shall
16    develop  or  continue,  and  shall update every year, a State
17    comprehensive day-care plan for submission  to  the  Governor
18    that identifies high-priority areas and groups, relating them
19    to  available  resources  and  identifying the most effective
20    approaches to the use of  existing  day  care  services.  The
21    State  comprehensive day-care plan shall be made available to
22    the General Assembly following the  Governor's  approval   of
23    the plan.
24        The  plan  shall  include  methods and procedures for the
25    development of additional day care resources for children  to
26    meet  the  goal of reducing short-run and long-run dependency
27    and to provide necessary enrichment and  stimulation  to  the
28    education  of  young children.  Recommendations shall be made
29    for State policy on optimum use of private and public, local,
30    State and federal resources, including  an  estimate  of  the
31    resources needed for the licensing and regulation of day care
                            -2-                LRB9002513PTcw
 1    facilities.
 2        A  written  report shall be submitted to the Governor and
 3    the General Assembly annually on April 15. The  report  shall
 4    include  an  evaluation  of  developments  over the preceding
 5    fiscal  year,  including  cost-benefit  analyses  of  various
 6    arrangements.  Beginning with the report in 1990 submitted by
 7    the  Department's  predecessor  agency  and  every  2   years
 8    thereafter, the report shall also include the following:
 9             (1)  An assessment of the child care services, needs
10        and  available  resources  throughout  the  State  and an
11        assessment  of  the  adequacy  of  existing  child   care
12        services,   including,   but  not  limited  to,  services
13        assisted under this  Act  and  under  any  other  program
14        administered by other State agencies.
15             (2)  A  survey  of  day care facilities to determine
16        the number of qualified caregivers, as defined  by  rule,
17        attracted   to   vacant   positions   and   any  problems
18        encountered by facilities  in  attracting  and  retaining
19        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.
23             (4)  The  qualifications  of new caregivers hired at
24        licensed day care facilities during the  previous  2-year
25        period.
26             (5)  Recommendations  for increasing caregiver wages
27        and salaries to ensure quality care for children.
28             (6)  Evaluation of the  fee  structure,  and  income
29        eligibility,  and  reimbursement  rates   for  child care
30        subsidized by the State.
31        The requirement for reporting  to  the  General  Assembly
32    shall  be  satisfied  by filing copies of the report with the
33    Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the  House  of
34    Representatives,  the President, the Minority Leader, and the
                            -3-                LRB9002513PTcw
 1    Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative  Research  Unit,
 2    as   required   by   Section  3.1  of  the  General  Assembly
 3    Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with  the
 4    State  Government  Report Distribution Center for the General
 5    Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section  7  of
 6    the State Library Act.
 7        (b)  The  Department  of  Human  Services shall establish
 8    policies  and  procedures  for  developing  and  implementing
 9    interagency agreements  with  other  agencies  of  the  State
10    providing  child  care  services  or  reimbursement  for such
11    services.
12        (c)  In  cooperation  with  other  State  agencies,   the
13    Department of Human Services shall  develop and implement, or
14    shall  continue, a resource and referral system for the State
15    of Illinois either within the Department or by contract  with
16    local  or  regional  agencies.  Funding for implementation of
17    this system may be provided through Department appropriations
18    or other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource  and
19    referral   system   shall  provide  at  least  the  following
20    services:
21             (1)  Assembling and maintaining a data base  on  the
22        supply of child care services.
23             (2)  Providing   information   and   referrals   for
24        parents.
25             (3)  Coordinating  the development of new child care
26        resources.
27             (4)  Providing technical assistance and training  to
28        child care service providers.
29             (5)  Recording  and  analyzing  the demand for child
30        care services.
31        (d)  The Department of Human Services shall  conduct  day
32    care planning activities with the following priorities:
33             (1)  Development  of  voluntary  day  care resources
34        wherever possible, with the provision  for  grants-in-aid
                            -4-                LRB9002513PTcw
 1        only  where  demonstrated  to  be useful and necessary as
 2        incentives or supports.
 3             (2)  Emphasis on service to children  of  recipients
 4        of   public  assistance  when  such  service  will  allow
 5        training or employment of the parent toward achieving the
 6        goal of independence.
 7             (3)  Maximum  employment  of  recipients  of  public
 8        assistance in  day  care  centers  and  day  care  homes,
 9        operated  in  conjunction  with  short-term work training
10        programs.
11             (4)  Care of children from families  in  stress  and
12        crises  whose  members  potentially may become, or are in
13        danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent.
14             (5)  Expansion  of  family   day   care   facilities
15        wherever possible.
16             (6)  Location  of  centers in economically depressed
17        neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service  centers  with
18        cooperation of other agencies.
19             (7)  Use  of  existing  facilities free of charge or
20        for  reasonable  rental  whenever  possible  in  lieu  of
21        construction.
22             (8)  Development of strategies for assuring  a  more
23        complete  range  of day care options, including provision
24        of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers,
25        which will enable a  parent  or  parents  to  complete  a
26        course of education or obtain or maintain employment.
27        Emphasis  shall  be  given  to support services that will
28    help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school  and
29    to services for participants in the Project Chance program of
30    job training conducted by the Department.
31        (e)  The  Department  of  Human  Services  shall actively
32    stimulate the development of public and private resources  at
33    the  local  level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization
34    of federal funds directly  or  indirectly  available  to  the
                            -5-                LRB9002513PTcw
 1    Department.
 2        Where  appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or
 3    associations shall be involved in planning by the Department.
 4    (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97.)

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