SB2171enr 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2171 Enrolled LRB093 15190 MKM 40786 b

AN ACT concerning professional development.

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 changing Section 10-22 as follows:

(20 ILCS 1305/10-22)

Sec. 10-22. Great START program.

(a) Beginning October 1, 2000 and until July 1, 2004, The Department of Human Services shall, subject to a specific appropriation for this purpose, operate a Great START (Strategy To Attract and Retain Teachers) program. The goal of the program is to improve children's developmental and educational outcomes in child care by encouraging increased professional preparation by staff and staff retention. The Great START program shall coordinate with the TEACH professional development program.

The program shall provide wage supplements and may include other incentives to licensed child care center personnel, including early childhood teachers, school-age workers, early childhood assistants, school-age assistants, and directors, as such positions are defined by administrative rule of the Department of Children and Family Services. The program shall provide wage supplements and may include other incentives to licensed family day care home personnel and licensed group day care home personnel, including caregivers and assistants as such positions are defined by administrative rule of the Department of Children and Family Services. Individuals will receive supplements commensurate with their qualifications.

(b) (Blank). The Department shall convene a working committee of its standing Child and Development Advisory Council to make recommendations by October 1, 2000 on the components of the Great START program. The working committee shall consist of experts from the child care and early childhood education field. In addition, the working committee shall include, when necessary, the Secretary of Human Services, the Director of Children and Family Services, the Director of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Director of Employment Security, the Superintendent of the State Board of Education, the Chair of the Community College Board, and the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Higher Education, or their designees.

(c) The Department shall, by rule, define the scope and operation of the program, including a wage supplement scale. The scale shall pay increasing amounts for higher levels of educational attainment beyond minimum qualifications and shall recognize longevity of employment. Subject to the availability of sufficient appropriation, the wage supplements shall be paid to child care personnel in the form of bonuses at 6 month intervals. Six months of continuous service with a single employer is required to be eligible to receive a wage supplement bonus. Wage supplements shall be paid directly to individual day care personnel, not to their employers. Eligible individuals must provide to the Department or its agent all information and documentation, including but not limited to college transcripts, to demonstrate their qualifications for a particular wage supplement level.

If appropriations permit, the Department may include one-time signing bonuses or other incentives to help providers attract staff, provided that the signing bonuses are less than the supplement staff would have received if they had remained employed with another day care center or family day care home.

If appropriations permit, the Department may include one-time longevity bonuses or other incentives to recognize staff who have remained with a single employer.

(d) (Blank). The Department shall evaluate the Great START program, gather data on turnover rates, educational attainment, and other relevant issues, and submit a report to the General Assembly on the Great START program by December 31, 2002.

(Source: P.A. 91-831, eff. 6-15-00; revised 12-6-03.)

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