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.