Public Act 093-0711
 
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.