Illinois Expands, Extends Pandemic Child Care Benefits For Families, Providers

Gov. J.B. Pritzker introduced the state will increase spending on youngster care help, extending a number of grant packages that started throughout the COVID pandemic and increasing eligibility for help for working dad and mom.

The state will increase the speed at which it reimburses youngster care suppliers for providers by way of the Youngster Care Help Program by almost 10% beginning in July, and can enhance the quantity households can earn and nonetheless be eligible for backed youngster care by way of this system, Pritzker mentioned a information convention Monday at a toddler care middle in Chicago’s Again of the Yards neighborhood.

A household of 4 making as much as 225% of the revenue degree on the “poverty line” of $27,750 could be eligible for state assist with youngster care prices, a transfer that will increase the edge from 180% and will enhance the variety of kids eligible for backed care by as many as 20,000.

The reimbursement charge will increase — and a program that can lower the price of youngster look after households that embody a toddler care employee to a $1 co-pay — will increase retention charges within the low-wage area, Pritzker mentioned.

“Youngster care doesn’t work with out its workforce, and Illinois’ youngster care system is simply as robust as its help for and funding in youngster care staff throughout the state,” mentioned Bethany Patten, affiliate director of the state Division of Human Companies’ Division of Early Childhood Workplace of Applications.

This system had been funded with federal COVID aid {dollars}, however a spokesman for the state Division of Well being Companies didn’t instantly reply to a question about the place the cash to fund the expanded providers would come from.