The Illinois Department of Human Services Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides low-income, working families with access to quality, affordable child care that allows them to continue working and contribute to the healthy, emotional and social development of the child. Families are required to cost-share on a sliding scale based on family size, income and number of children in care. The CCAP budget for the current fiscal year is underfunded by almost $300 million. For the program to function at its current level, the state would need to identify revenue necessary to pass a supplemental budget to fully fund CCAP through the end of this fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2015. In the state of Illinois there are more than 3000 licensed day care centers, 8000 licensed day care homes and 700 group day care homes with a combined capacity to serve more than 255,000 children. “Many families receive day care subsidies and would be displaced from work if affordable day care is unavailable,” said state Representative La Shawn K. Ford.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama discussed the importance of quality and affordable child care. President Obama said “In today’s economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality childcare more than ever. It’s not a nice-to-have - it’s a must-have. It’s time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us. And that’s why my plan will make quality childcare more available, and more affordable, for every middle-class and low-income family with young children in America - by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year.”
“We must make quality child care learning environments available to every child in Illinois for success in pre K and all of the early education stages,” said Ford. “I call on Governor Rauner to support these programs in Illinois and avoid any future cuts to them. These programs are essential to the development of our youth and their future. I will continue to work with hard-working child care providers, my colleagues in the General Assembly, and Gov. Rauner to protect child care.”
Why is this important?
The Child Care Assistance Program budget for the current fiscal year is underfunded by almost $300 million. For the program to function at its current level, Illinois needs to identify revenue necessary to pass a supplemental budget to fully fund CCAP through the end of this fiscal year.
