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91_HB2597eng HB2597 Engrossed LRB9105501SMdv 1 AN ACT to amend the Children and Family Services Act by 2 changing Section 5.15. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is 6 amended by changing Section 5.15 as follows: 7 (20 ILCS 505/5.15) 8 Sec. 5.15. Daycare; Department of Human Services. 9 (a) For the purpose of ensuring effective statewide 10 planning, development, and utilization of resources for the 11 day care of children, operated under various auspices, the 12 Department of Human Services is designated to coordinate all 13 day care activities for children of the State and shall 14 develop or continue, and shall update every year, a State 15 comprehensive day-care plan for submission to the Governor 16 that identifies high-priority areas and groups, relating them 17 to available resources and identifying the most effective 18 approaches to the use of existing day care services. The 19 State comprehensive day-care plan shall be made available to 20 the General Assembly following the Governor's approval of 21 the plan. 22 The plan shall include methods and procedures for the 23 development of additional day care resources for children to 24 meet the goal of reducing short-run and long-run dependency 25 and to provide necessary enrichment and stimulation to the 26 education of young children. Recommendations shall be made 27 for State policy on optimum use of private and public, local, 28 State and federal resources, including an estimate of the 29 resources needed for the licensing and regulation of day care 30 facilities. 31 A written report shall be submitted to the Governor and HB2597 Engrossed -2- LRB9105501SMdv 1 the General Assembly annually on April 15. The report shall 2 include an evaluation of developments over the preceding 3 fiscal year, including cost-benefit analyses of various 4 arrangements. Beginning with the report in 1990 submitted by 5 the Department's predecessor agency and every 2 years 6 thereafter, the report shall also include the 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. The report shall include an 18 assessment, based on the survey, of any working condition 19 improvements required to attract capable caregivers. 20 (3) The average wages and salaries and fringe 21 benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State, 22 computed on a regional basis. The report shall include a 23 determination by the Department of the adequacy of those 24 wages and salaries and fringe benefit packages in 25 assuring the provision of quality child care. 26 (4) The qualifications of new caregivers hired at 27 licensed day care facilities during the previous 2-year 28 period. 29 (5) Recommendations for increasing caregiver wages 30 and salaries to ensure quality care for children. 31 (6) Evaluation of the fee structure and income 32 eligibility for child care subsidized by the State. 33 The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly 34 shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the HB2597 Engrossed -3- LRB9105501SMdv 1 Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of 2 Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and the 3 Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit, 4 as required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly 5 Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with the 6 State Government Report Distribution Center for the General 7 Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of 8 the State Library Act. 9 (b) The Department of Human Services shall establish 10 policies and procedures for developing and implementing 11 interagency agreements with other agencies of the State 12 providing child care services or reimbursement for such 13 services. The plans shall be annually reviewed and modified 14 for the purpose of addressing issues of applicability and 15 service system barriers. 16 (c) In cooperation with other State agencies, the 17 Department of Human Services shall develop and implement, or 18 shall continue, a resource and referral system for the State 19 of Illinois either within the Department or by contract with 20 local or regional agencies. Funding for implementation of 21 this system may be provided through Department appropriations 22 or other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and 23 referral system shall provide at least the following 24 services: 25 (1) Assembling and maintaining a data base on the 26 supply of child care services. 27 (2) Providing information and referrals for 28 parents. 29 (3) Coordinating the development of new child care 30 resources. 31 (4) Providing technical assistance and training to 32 child care service providers. 33 (5) Recording and analyzing the demand for child 34 care services. HB2597 Engrossed -4- LRB9105501SMdv 1 (d) The Department of Human Services shall conduct day 2 care planning activities with the following priorities: 3 (1) Development of voluntary day care resources 4 wherever possible, with the provision for grants-in-aid 5 only where demonstrated to be useful and necessary as 6 incentives or supports. By January 1, 2000, the 7 Department shall design a plan to create more child care 8 slots as well as goals and timetables to improve quality 9 and accessibility of child care. 10 (2) Emphasis on service to children of recipients 11 of public assistance when such service will allow 12 training or employment of the parent toward achieving the 13 goal of independence. 14 (3) Maximum employment of recipients of public 15 assistance in day care centers and day care homes, 16 operated in conjunction with short-term work training 17 programs. 18 (4) Care of children from families in stress and 19 crises whose members potentially may become, or are in 20 danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent. 21 (5) Expansion of family day care facilities 22 wherever possible. 23 (6) Location of centers in economically depressed 24 neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service centers with 25 cooperation of other agencies. The Department shall 26 coordinate the provision of grants to encourage the 27 creation and expansion of child care centers in high need 28 communities to be issued by the State, business, and 29 local governments. 30 (7) Use of existing facilities free of charge or 31 for reasonable rental whenever possible in lieu of 32 construction. 33 (8) Development of strategies for assuring a more 34 complete range of day care options, including provision HB2597 Engrossed -5- LRB9105501SMdv 1 of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers, 2 which will enable a parent or parents to complete a 3 course of education or obtain or maintain employment and 4 the creation of more child care options for swing shift, 5 evening, and weekend workers and for working women with 6 sick children. The Department shall encourage companies 7 to provide child care in their own offices or in the 8 building in which the corporation is located so that 9 employees of all the building's tenants can benefit from 10 the facility. 11 (9) Development of strategies for subsidizing 12 students pursuing degrees in the child care field. 13 (10) Continuation and expansion of support service 14 programs that assist teen parents to continue and 15 complete their education. 16 Emphasis shall be given to support services that will 17 help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school and 18 to services for participants in the Project Chance program of 19 job training conducted by the Department. 20 (e) The Department of Human Services shall actively 21 stimulate the development of public and private resources at 22 the local level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization 23 of federal funds directly or indirectly available to the 24 Department. 25 Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or 26 associations shall be involved in planning by the Department. 27 (f) To better accommodate the child care needs of low 28 income working families, especially those who receive 29 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or who are 30 transitioning from TANF to work, or who are at risk of 31 depending on TANF in the absence of child care, the 32 Department shall complete a study using outcome-based 33 assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child 34 care needs, including but not limited to: child care homes; HB2597 Engrossed -6- LRB9105501SMdv 1 child care facilities; before and after school care; and 2 evening and weekend care. Based upon the findings of the 3 study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998, 4 that identifies the various types of child care needs within 5 various geographic locations. The plan shall include, but 6 not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians 7 in need of non-traditional child care services such as early 8 mornings, evenings, and weekends; the needs of very low 9 income families and children and how they might be better 10 served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet 11 the needs and schedules of low income families. 12 (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97; 90-236, eff. 7-28-97; 13 90-590, eff. 1-1-99.)