ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Governor Pritzker announced that his administration is allocating additional funds to support childcare facilities that are part of the Childcare Support Program, which provides low-income families with access to quality childcare that affects 100,000 children annually .

The administration will use the funds allocated to Illinois by the Federal CARES Act to cover all eligible days of CCAP payments for December, January and February regardless of your participation.

Earlier this year, the Pritzker government provided $ 270 million in aid to childcare workers across the state through the Illinois Business Interruption Grant Program, the largest corporate aid program in the United States. The state is allocating an additional $ 20 million from the CARES Act to help additional providers in Illinois.

“Our lives are currently full of strangers – and our childcare staff knows that only too well. From employees calling in sick or staying home to look after their own families, to community transmission concerns, to families dragging their children out of care, our early childhood provider network has these tumultuous times on captured in many ways. I wanted to make it easier for them so that we can make sure that parents who need it get childcare, ”said Governor Pritzker. “As we face this pandemic winter, Illinois will help all of our childcare support providers be a little more stable and flexible than we did this spring. The state covers all eligible days of CCAP payments for December, January and February, regardless of what your participation looks like – and all that is required is for providers to submit a simple waiver form. “

The recently announced initiative will bring relief to thousands of vendors, particularly in color communities that have been hardest hit during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As of last month, 98,000 children were enrolled in CCAP.

“Governor Pritzker understands the importance of protecting early childhood programs and the workforce responsible for them – child carers, teachers and other caregivers. On the way into the winter months, this funding will help companies across the state weather the still very difficult journey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our childcare network members are a vital workforce and this is a positive step towards economic recovery, ”said Grace Hou, secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services.

Support for eligible child carers includes:

• The state pays for all eligible days of childcare regardless of the presence of the child. These changes will apply in December, January, and February to help providers maintain financial stability.

• The Child and Family Services Department, the agency responsible for licensing childcare programs, will return to full capacity in December for all licensed family childcare providers, and licensed childcare centers will return to full capacity in early January when COVID drops the rolling positivity rate of -19 stays below 9%.

• Purchase and distribution of PPE to childcare workers across the state.

“The IDHS Childcare Office manages the childcare program to provide low-income, working families with access to quality, affordable childcare that enables them to continue working and contribute to the child’s healthy, emotional and social development.” to the office of Governor Pritzker.

Families can stay in touch with the program through the Childcare Support Program on Facebook or the IDHS website.

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