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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,andincome 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.)