State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB3680

 
                                               LRB9110891REdv

 1        AN ACT concerning children and family services.

 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 each year. The
 
                            -2-                LRB9110891REdv
 1    report shall include an evaluation of developments  over  the
 2    preceding  fiscal  year,  including  cost-benefit analyses of
 3    various arrangements.  Beginning  with  the  report  in  1990
 4    submitted  by the Department's predecessor agency and every 2
 5    years  thereafter,  the  report  shall   also   include   the
 6    following:
 7             (1)  An assessment of the child care services, needs
 8        and  available  resources  throughout  the  State  and an
 9        assessment  of  the  adequacy  of  existing  child   care
10        services,   including,   but  not  limited  to,  services
11        assisted under this  Act  and  under  any  other  program
12        administered by other State agencies.
13             (2)  A  survey  of  day care facilities to determine
14        the number of qualified caregivers, as defined  by  rule,
15        attracted   to   vacant   positions   and   any  problems
16        encountered by facilities  in  attracting  and  retaining
17        capable caregivers.
18             (3)  The  average  wages  and  salaries  and  fringe
19        benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State,
20        computed on a regional basis.
21             (4)  The  qualifications  of new caregivers hired at
22        licensed day care facilities during the  previous  2-year
23        period.
24             (5)  Recommendations  for increasing caregiver wages
25        and salaries to ensure quality care for children.
26             (6)  Evaluation of  the  fee  structure  and  income
27        eligibility for child care subsidized by the State.
28        The  requirement  for  reporting  to the General Assembly
29    shall be satisfied by filing copies of the  report  with  the
30    Speaker,  the  Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of
31    Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and  the
32    Secretary  of  the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit,
33    as  required  by  Section  3.1  of   the   General   Assembly
34    Organization  Act, and filing such additional copies with the
 
                            -3-                LRB9110891REdv
 1    State Government Report Distribution Center for  the  General
 2    Assembly  as  is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of
 3    the State Library Act.
 4        (b)  The Department of  Human  Services  shall  establish
 5    policies  and  procedures  for  developing  and  implementing
 6    interagency  agreements  with  other  agencies  of  the State
 7    providing child  care  services  or  reimbursement  for  such
 8    services.  The  plans shall be annually reviewed and modified
 9    for the purpose of addressing  issues  of  applicability  and
10    service system barriers.
11        (c)  In   cooperation  with  other  State  agencies,  the
12    Department of Human Services shall  develop and implement, or
13    shall continue, a resource and referral system for the  State
14    of  Illinois either within the Department or by contract with
15    local or regional agencies.  Funding  for  implementation  of
16    this system may be provided through Department appropriations
17    or  other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and
18    referral  system  shall  provide  at  least   the   following
19    services:
20             (1)  Assembling  and  maintaining a data base on the
21        supply of child care services.
22             (2)  Providing   information   and   referrals   for
23        parents.
24             (3)  Coordinating the development of new child  care
25        resources.
26             (4)  Providing  technical assistance and training to
27        child care service providers.
28             (5)  Recording and analyzing the  demand  for  child
29        care services.
30        (d)  The  Department  of Human Services shall conduct day
31    care planning activities with the following priorities:
32             (1)  Development of  voluntary  day  care  resources
33        wherever  possible,  with the provision for grants-in-aid
34        only where demonstrated to be  useful  and  necessary  as
 
                            -4-                LRB9110891REdv
 1        incentives or supports.
 2             (2)  Emphasis  on  service to children of recipients
 3        of  public  assistance  when  such  service  will   allow
 4        training or employment of the parent toward achieving the
 5        goal of independence.
 6             (3)  Maximum  employment  of  recipients  of  public
 7        assistance  in  day  care  centers  and  day  care homes,
 8        operated in conjunction  with  short-term  work  training
 9        programs.
10             (4)  Care  of  children  from families in stress and
11        crises whose members potentially may become,  or  are  in
12        danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent.
13             (5)  Expansion   of   family   day  care  facilities
14        wherever possible.
15             (6)  Location of centers in  economically  depressed
16        neighborhoods,  preferably  in multi-service centers with
17        cooperation of other agencies.
18             (7)  Use of existing facilities free  of  charge  or
19        for  reasonable  rental  whenever  possible  in  lieu  of
20        construction.
21             (8)  Development  of  strategies for assuring a more
22        complete range of day care options,  including  provision
23        of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers,
24        which  will  enable  a  parent  or  parents to complete a
25        course of education or obtain or maintain employment.
26        Emphasis shall be given to  support  services  that  will
27    help  to ensure such parents' graduation from high school and
28    to services for participants in the Project Chance program of
29    job training conducted by the Department.
30        (e)  The Department  of  Human  Services  shall  actively
31    stimulate  the development of public and private resources at
32    the local level. It shall also seek the  fullest  utilization
33    of  federal  funds  directly  or  indirectly available to the
34    Department.
 
                            -5-                LRB9110891REdv
 1        Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies  or
 2    associations shall be involved in planning by the Department.
 3        (f)  To  better  accommodate  the child care needs of low
 4    income  working  families,  especially  those   who   receive
 5    Temporary  Assistance  for  Needy  Families (TANF) or who are
 6    transitioning from TANF to  work,  or  who  are  at  risk  of
 7    depending   on  TANF  in  the  absence  of  child  care,  the
 8    Department  shall  complete  a  study   using   outcome-based
 9    assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child
10    care  needs,  including but not limited to: child care homes;
11    child care facilities; before  and  after  school  care;  and
12    evening  and  weekend  care.   Based upon the findings of the
13    study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998,
14    that identifies the various types of child care needs  within
15    various  geographic  locations.   The plan shall include, but
16    not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians
17    in need of non-traditional child care services such as  early
18    mornings,  evenings,  and  weekends;  the  needs  of very low
19    income families and children and how  they  might  be  better
20    served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet
21    the needs and schedules of low income families.
22    (Source:  P.A.  89-507,  eff.  7-1-97;  90-236, eff. 7-28-97;
23    90-590, eff. 1-1-99.)

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