Bill Text: IL HB0814 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Amends the Children and Family Services Act. In provisions concerning day care services, provides that the Department of Human Services, or any other State agency that assumes these responsibilities, is designated to coordinate all day care activities for children of the State. In a provision requiring the Department to submit, annually on April 15, a written report to the Governor and the General Assembly, provides that the report must include a survey of day care facilities to determine the number of qualified caregivers, as defined by rule, attracted to vacant positions, or retained at the current positions, and any problems encountered by facilities in attracting and retaining capable caregivers. Provides that the survey process shall incorporate feedback from groups and individuals with relevant expertise or lived experience, including, but not limited to, educators and child care providers, regarding the collection of data in order to inform strategies and costs related to the Child Care Development Fund and the General Revenue Fund, for the purpose of promoting workforce recruitment and retention. Requires the survey to be updated every 4 years, at a minimum, based on feedback received. Provides that initial survey updates shall be made prior to the 2025 survey data collection. Effective July 1, 2024.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Enrolled) 2024-11-20 - Passed Both Houses [HB0814 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB0814-Enrolled.html

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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended
by changing Section 5.15 as follows:
(20 ILCS 505/5.15)
Sec. 5.15. Daycare; Department of Human Services.
(a) For the purpose of ensuring effective statewide
planning, development, and utilization of resources for the
day care of children, operated under various auspices, the
Department of Human Services, or any State agency that assumes
these responsibilities, is designated to coordinate all day
care activities for children of the State and shall develop or
continue, and shall update every year, a State comprehensive
day-care plan for submission to the Governor that identifies
high-priority areas and groups, relating them to available
resources and identifying the most effective approaches to the
use of existing day care services. The State comprehensive
day-care plan shall be made available to the General Assembly
following the Governor's approval of the plan.
The plan shall include methods and procedures for the
development of additional day care resources for children to
meet the goal of reducing short-run and long-run dependency

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and to provide necessary enrichment and stimulation to the
education of young children. Recommendations shall be made for
State policy on optimum use of private and public, local,
State and federal resources, including an estimate of the
resources needed for the licensing and regulation of day care
facilities.
A written report shall be submitted to the Governor and
the General Assembly annually on April 15. The report shall
include an evaluation of developments over the preceding
fiscal year, including cost-benefit analyses of various
arrangements. Beginning with the report in 1990 submitted by
the Department's predecessor agency and every 2 years
thereafter, the report shall also include the following:
(1) An assessment of the child care services, needs
and available resources throughout the State and an
assessment of the adequacy of existing child care
services, including, but not limited to, services assisted
under this Act and under any other program administered by
other State agencies.
(2) A survey of day care facilities to determine the
number of qualified caregivers, as defined by rule,
attracted to vacant positions, or retained at the current
positions, and any problems encountered by facilities in
attracting and retaining capable caregivers. The report
shall include an assessment, based on the survey, of
improvements in employee benefits that may attract capable

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caregivers. The survey process shall incorporate feedback
from groups and individuals with relevant expertise or
lived experience, including, but not limited to, educators
and child care providers, regarding the collection of data
in order to inform strategies and costs related to the
Child Care Development Fund and the General Revenue Fund,
for the purpose of promoting workforce recruitment and
retention. The survey shall, at a minimum, be updated
every 4 years based on feedback received. Initial survey
updates shall be made prior to the 2025 survey data
collection.
(3) The average wages and salaries and fringe benefit
packages paid to caregivers throughout the State, computed
on a regional basis, compared to similarly qualified
employees in other but related fields.
(4) The qualifications of new caregivers hired at
licensed day care facilities during the previous 2-year
period.
(5) Recommendations for increasing caregiver wages and
salaries to ensure quality care for children.
(6) Evaluation of the fee structure and income
eligibility for child care subsidized by the State.
The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly
shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report as required
by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act, and
filing such additional copies with the State Government Report

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Distribution Center for the General Assembly as is required
under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act.
(b) The Department of Human Services shall establish
policies and procedures for developing and implementing
interagency agreements with other agencies of the State
providing child care services or reimbursement for such
services. The plans shall be annually reviewed and modified
for the purpose of addressing issues of applicability and
service system barriers.
(c) In cooperation with other State agencies, the
Department of Human Services shall develop and implement, or
shall continue, a resource and referral system for the State
of Illinois either within the Department or by contract with
local or regional agencies. Funding for implementation of this
system may be provided through Department appropriations or
other inter-agency funding arrangements. The resource and
referral system shall provide at least the following services:
(1) Assembling and maintaining a data base on the
supply of child care services.
(2) Providing information and referrals for parents.
(3) Coordinating the development of new child care
resources.
(4) Providing technical assistance and training to
child care service providers.
(5) Recording and analyzing the demand for child care
services.

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(d) The Department of Human Services shall conduct day
care planning activities with the following priorities:
(1) Development of voluntary day care resources
wherever possible, with the provision for grants-in-aid
only where demonstrated to be useful and necessary as
incentives or supports. By January 1, 2002, the Department
shall design a plan to create more child care slots as well
as goals and timetables to improve quality and
accessibility of child care.
(2) Emphasis on service to children of recipients of
public assistance when such service will allow training or
employment of the parent toward achieving the goal of
independence.
(3) (Blank).
(4) Care of children from families in stress and
crises whose members potentially may become, or are in
danger of becoming, non-productive and dependent.
(5) Expansion of family day care facilities wherever
possible.
(6) Location of centers in economically depressed
neighborhoods, preferably in multi-service centers with
cooperation of other agencies. The Department shall
coordinate the provision of grants, but only to the extent
funds are specifically appropriated for this purpose, to
encourage the creation and expansion of child care centers
in high need communities to be issued by the State,

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business, and local governments.
(7) Use of existing facilities free of charge or for
reasonable rental whenever possible in lieu of
construction.
(8) Development of strategies for assuring a more
complete range of day care options, including provision of
day care services in homes, in schools, or in centers,
which will enable a parent or parents to complete a course
of education or obtain or maintain employment and the
creation of more child care options for swing shift,
evening, and weekend workers and for working women with
sick children. The Department shall encourage companies to
provide child care in their own offices or in the building
in which the corporation is located so that employees of
all the building's tenants can benefit from the facility.
(9) Development of strategies for subsidizing students
pursuing degrees in the child care field.
(10) Continuation and expansion of service programs
that assist teen parents to continue and complete their
education.
Emphasis shall be given to support services that will help
to ensure such parents' graduation from high school and to
services for participants in any programs of job training
conducted by the Department.
(e) The Department of Human Services shall actively
stimulate the development of public and private resources at

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the local level. It shall also seek the fullest utilization of
federal funds directly or indirectly available to the
Department.
Where appropriate, existing non-governmental agencies or
associations shall be involved in planning by the Department.
(f) To better accommodate the child care needs of low
income working families, especially those who receive
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or who are
transitioning from TANF to work, or who are at risk of
depending on TANF in the absence of child care, the Department
shall complete a study using outcome-based assessment
measurements to analyze the various types of child care needs,
including but not limited to: child care homes; child care
facilities; before and after school care; and evening and
weekend care. Based upon the findings of the study, the
Department shall develop a plan by April 15, 1998, that
identifies the various types of child care needs within
various geographic locations. The plan shall include, but not
be limited to, the special needs of parents and guardians in
need of non-traditional child care services such as early
mornings, evenings, and weekends; the needs of very low income
families and children and how they might be better served; and
strategies to assist child care providers to meet the needs
and schedules of low income families.
(Source: P.A. 100-1148, eff. 12-10-18.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,

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