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92_HB1734eng HB1734 Engrossed LRB9205801MWdv 1 AN ACT concerning day care. 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. The report shall HB1734 Engrossed -2- LRB9205801MWdv 1 include an evaluation of developments over the preceding 2 fiscal year, including cost-benefit analyses of various 3 arrangements. Beginning with the report in 1990 submitted by 4 the Department's predecessor agency and every 2 years 5 thereafter, the report shall also include the following: 6 (1) An assessment of the child care services, needs 7 and available resources throughout the State and an 8 assessment of the adequacy of existing child care 9 services, including, but not limited to, services 10 assisted under this Act and under any other program 11 administered by other State agencies. 12 (2) A survey of day care facilities to determine 13 the number of qualified caregivers, as defined by rule, 14 attracted to vacant positions and any problems 15 encountered by facilities in attracting and retaining 16 capable caregivers. 17 (3) The average wages and salaries and fringe 18 benefit packages paid to caregivers throughout the State, 19 computed on a regional basis. 20 (4) The qualifications of new caregivers hired at 21 licensed day care facilities during the previous 2-year 22 period. 23 (5) Recommendations for increasing caregiver wages 24 and salaries to ensure quality care for children. 25 (6) Evaluation of the fee structure and income 26 eligibility for child care subsidized by the State. 27 The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly 28 shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the 29 Speaker, the Minority Leader, and the Clerk of the House of 30 Representatives, the President, the Minority Leader, and the 31 Secretary of the Senate, and the Legislative Research Unit, 32 as required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly 33 Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with the 34 State Government Report Distribution Center for the General HB1734 Engrossed -3- LRB9205801MWdv 1 Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of 2 the State Library Act. 3 (b) The Department of Human Services shall establish 4 policies and procedures for developing and implementing 5 interagency agreements with other agencies of the State 6 providing child care services or reimbursement for such 7 services. The plans shall be annually reviewed and modified 8 for the purpose of addressing issues of applicability and 9 service system barriers. 10 (c) In cooperation with other State agencies, the 11 Department of Human Services shall develop and implement, or 12 shall continue, a resource and referral system for the State 13 of Illinois either within the Department or by contract with 14 local or regional agencies. Funding for implementation of 15 this system may be provided through Department appropriations 16 or other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and 17 referral system shall provide at least the following 18 services: 19 (1) Assembling and maintaining a data base on the 20 supply of child care services. 21 (2) Providing information and referrals for 22 parents. 23 (3) Coordinating the development of new child care 24 resources. 25 (4) Providing technical assistance and training to 26 child care service providers. 27 (5) Recording and analyzing the demand for child 28 care services. 29 (c-5) The Department must, in association with the 30 resource and referral system and in consultation with the 31 Child Care and Development Advisory Council, develop and 32 implement an infant-toddler initiative to address the severe 33 shortage of high quality child care in Illinois for children 34 under 3 years of age. The Department must annually report on HB1734 Engrossed -4- LRB9205801MWdv 1 the status of the infant-toddler initiative as part of the 2 State's comprehensive day-care plan. 3 (d) The Department of Human Services shall conduct day 4 care planning activities with the following priorities: 5 (1) Development of voluntary day care resources 6 wherever possible, with the provision for grants-in-aid 7 only where demonstrated to be useful and necessary as 8 incentives or supports. 9 (2) Emphasis on service to children of recipients 10 of public assistance when such service will allow 11 training or employment of the parent toward achieving the 12 goal of independence. 13 (3) Maximum employment of recipients of public 14 assistance in day care centers and day care homes, 15 operated in conjunction with short-term work training 16 programs. 17 (4) Care of children from families in stress and 18 crises whose members potentially may become, or are in 19 danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent. 20 (5) Expansion of family day care facilities 21 wherever possible. 22 (6) Location of centers in economically depressed 23 neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service centers with 24 cooperation of other agencies. 25 (7) Use of existing facilities free of charge or 26 for reasonable rental whenever possible in lieu of 27 construction. 28 (8) Development of strategies for assuring a more 29 complete range of day care options, including provision 30 of day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers, 31 which will enable a parent or parents to complete a 32 course of education or obtain or maintain employment. 33 Emphasis shall be given to support services that will 34 help to ensure such parents' graduation from high school and HB1734 Engrossed -5- LRB9205801MWdv 1 to services for participants in the Project Chance program of 2 job training conducted by the Department. 3 (e) The Department of Human Services shall actively 4 stimulate the development of public and private resources at 5 the local level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization 6 of federal funds directly or indirectly available to the 7 Department. 8 Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or 9 associations shall be involved in planning by the Department. 10 (f) To better accommodate the child care needs of low 11 income working families, especially those who receive 12 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or who are 13 transitioning from TANF to work, or who are at risk of 14 depending on TANF in the absence of child care, the 15 Department shall complete a study using outcome-based 16 assessment measurements to analyze the various types of child 17 care needs, including but not limited to: child care homes; 18 child care facilities; before and after school care; and 19 evening and weekend care. Based upon the findings of the 20 study, the Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998, 21 that identifies the various types of child care needs within 22 various geographic locations. The plan shall include, but 23 not be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians 24 in need of non-traditional child care services such as early 25 mornings, evenings, and weekends; the needs of very low 26 income families and children and how they might be better 27 served; and strategies to assist child care providers to meet 28 the needs and schedules of low income families. 29 (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97; 90-236, eff. 7-28-97; 30 90-590, eff. 1-1-99.) 31 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 32 becoming law.