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92_SB0373eng SB373 Engrossed LRB9201644SMdv 1 AN ACT to amend the Children and Family Services Act. 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 SB373 Engrossed -2- LRB9201644SMdv 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 improvements in 18 employee benefits that may attract capable caregivers. 19 (3) The average wages and salaries and fringe 20 benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State, 21 computed on a regional basis, compared to similarly 22 qualified employees in other but related fields. 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 for child care subsidized by the State. 30 The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly 31 shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the 32 Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of 33 Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and the 34 Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit, SB373 Engrossed -3- LRB9201644SMdv 1 as required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly 2 Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with the 3 State Government Report Distribution Center for the General 4 Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of 5 the State Library Act. 6 (b) The Department of Human Services shall establish 7 policies and procedures for developing and implementing 8 interagency agreements with other agencies of the State 9 providing child care services or reimbursement for such 10 services. The plans shall be annually reviewed and modified 11 for the purpose of addressing issues of applicability and 12 service system barriers. 13 (c) In cooperation with other State agencies, the 14 Department of Human Services shall develop and implement, or 15 shall continue, a resource and referral system for the State 16 of Illinois either within the Department or by contract with 17 local or regional agencies. Funding for implementation of 18 this system may be provided through Department appropriations 19 or other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and 20 referral system shall provide at least the following 21 services: 22 (1) Assembling and maintaining a data base on the 23 supply of child care services. 24 (2) Providing information and referrals for 25 parents. 26 (3) Coordinating the development of new child care 27 resources. 28 (4) Providing technical assistance and training to 29 child care service providers. 30 (5) Recording and analyzing the demand for child 31 care services. 32 (d) The Department of Human Services shall conduct day 33 care planning activities with the following priorities: 34 (1) Development of voluntary day care resources SB373 Engrossed -4- LRB9201644SMdv 1 wherever possible, with the provision for grants-in-aid 2 only where demonstrated to be useful and necessary as 3 incentives or supports. By January 1, 2002, the 4 Department shall design a plan to create more child care 5 slots as well as goals and timetables to improve quality 6 and accessibility of child care. 7 (2) Emphasis on service to children of recipients 8 of public assistance when such service will allow 9 training or employment of the parent toward achieving the 10 goal of independence. 11 (3) (Blank).Maximum employment of recipients of12public assistance in day care centers and day care homes,13operated in conjunction with short-term work training14programs.15 (4) Care of children from families in stress and 16 crises whose members potentially may become, or are in 17 danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent. 18 (5) Expansion of family day care facilities 19 wherever possible. 20 (6) Location of centers in economically depressed 21 neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service centers with 22 cooperation of other agencies. The Department shall 23 coordinate the provision of grants, but only to the 24 extent funds are specifically appropriated for this 25 purpose, to encourage the creation and expansion of 26 child care centers in high need communities to be issued 27 by the State, business, and local governments. 28 (7) Use of existing facilities free of charge or 29 for reasonable rental whenever possible in lieu of 30 construction. 31 (8) Development of strategies for assuring a more 32 complete range of day care options, including provision 33 of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers, 34 which will enable a parent or parents to complete a SB373 Engrossed -5- LRB9201644SMdv 1 course of education or obtain or maintain employment and 2 the creation of more child care options for swing shift, 3 evening, and weekend workers and for working women with 4 sick children. The Department shall encourage companies 5 to provide child care in their own offices or in the 6 building in which the corporation is located so that 7 employees of all the building's tenants can benefit from 8 the facility. 9 (9) Development of strategies for subsidizing 10 students pursuing degrees in the child care field. 11 (10) Continuation and expansion of service programs 12 that assist teen parents to continue and complete their 13 education. 14 Emphasis shall be given to support services that will 15 help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school and 16 to services for participants in any programsthe Project17Chance programof job training conducted by the Department. 18 (e) The Department of Human Services shall actively 19 stimulate the development of public and private resources at 20 the local level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization 21 of federal funds directly or indirectly available to the 22 Department. 23 Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or 24 associations shall be involved in planning by the Department. 25 (f) To better accommodate the child care needs of low 26 income working families, especially those who receive 27 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or who are 28 transitioning from TANF to work, or who are at risk of 29 depending on TANF in the absence of child care, the 30 Department shall complete a study using outcome-based 31 assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child 32 care needs, including but not limited to: child care homes; 33 child care facilities; before and after school care; and 34 evening and weekend care. Based upon the findings of the SB373 Engrossed -6- LRB9201644SMdv 1 study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998, 2 that identifies the various types of child care needs within 3 various geographic locations. The plan shall include, but 4 not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians 5 in need of non-traditional child care services such as early 6 mornings, evenings, and weekends; the needs of very low 7 income families and children and how they might be better 8 served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet 9 the needs and schedules of low income families. 10 (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97; 90-236, eff. 7-28-97; 11 90-590, eff. 1-1-99.)