|
 “We can’t have a conversation about going back to
work without talking about child care – anything else leaves a large
portion of the workforce, especially women who too often bear a
disproportionate burden, without any way to move forward while
caring for their kids,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Illinois must
take a cautious approach that appropriately balances the need to
greatly expand child care with the need to lessen the risk of
spreading the coronavirus.”
To date, Illinois has not seen significant transmission of COVID-19
in child care settings, which is encouraging evidence that child
care can be provided safely. However, public health experts note
that there is still much we need to learn about the virus, its
impact on children, and how it spreads. Therefore, Illinois is
implementing a cautious approach that appropriately balances the
need to greatly expand child care with the need for prudent
restrictions that lessen the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Based off the advice of public health experts, the new group size
limits will be roughly 30% lower than their pre-pandemic levels for
centers. For licensed homes which tend to be smaller, most will be
able to operate at standard capacity. Collectively, these efforts
would bring Illinois to three-quarters of the previous child care
capacity in the state.
Providers that have been successfully operating as emergency child
care providers can move immediately to these new maximum capacities
when their Region enters Phase 3. Most licensed child care homes
will also be able to reopen to their licensed capacity.
Illinois is encouraging all of the currently closed licensed child
care providers to reopen when their Region moves to Phase 3 to serve
the many families who will be returning to work. Those providers
that have been closed and will reopen must develop a Reopening Plan
that ensures they have revised operational and preparedness policies
in place before opening. These newly
reopened providers will have reduced capacity, of no more than 10
children per classroom, for the first 4 weeks. Once they have
provided care safely for four weeks and have followed the new
health, social distancing and sanitation routines and guidelines,
they will be able to expand to larger group sizes, though not their
full licensed capacity.
There will be no restrictions on which families can use child care
in Phases 3 and 4.
Recognizing children’s need for quality early learning experiences,
all providers will be expected to resume compliance with all
licensing standards related to curriculum, learning environment, and
staff qualifications.
The state gathered input from over 80 stakeholders in discussions on
how to safely and prudently reopen child care across Illinois, from
new health and sanitation protocols, to staff training needs, to
what supports families will need as they return to child care. The
recommendations shaped Illinois’ roadmap for safely increasing
access to child care as families return to work.
The state has made significant investments in its
vast child care network during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as
implementing a simple waiver process to allow providers to be paid
for all of their enrolled children in the Child Care Assistance
Program for March through June, so that child care staff could
continue to be paid as normal through this unprecedented period. The
state also increased the CCAP money that emergency center providers
receive for each child.
[to top of second column] |
Illinois is continuing to work on developing
appropriate business relief funds that will help to minimize the
financial impact of these necessary limitations and is working
alongside the state’s congressional delegation to amplify its
support for our national child care landscape in an upcoming relief
package.
“True to form as a long time advocate of high quality child care and
early education, Governor Pritzker‘s plan reflects thoughtful and
deliberate planning to ensure that children, providers, and their
families will have the guidance needed to mitigate the spread of
COVID-19. Naturally, the pandemic will dictate modifications to the
provision of child care, but the experts and advocates who informed
the plan held the science, of both child development and infection
control, as the number one priority through all of their decision
making,” said Goeff Nagel, President of Erikson Institute.
"The value of child care to our workforce and economy is more
evident than ever before. It's vital that we reopen child care as
safely as possible to help accommodate the reopening of businesses
statewide. Child care is necessary to help working parents return to
jobs, their kids return to learning, and employers return to
productivity," said Kayla Edwards, Managing Partner at Express
Employment Professionals of Springfield, Jacksonville and
Bloomington, and a member of the nonprofit ReadyNation network of
business leaders. "These plans for renewing child care capacity are
also an important component of ongoing efforts to help care
providers weather this storm - protecting their health and their
viability as small businesses in their own right."
“I would like to commend the Governor's Office, the Department of
Human Services and the Department of Children and Family Services
for creating a thoughtful plan to safely and responsibly reopen
child care. Parents should feel comfortable knowing that their
children are safe as they return to work,” said Leek Eklund, Center
Director of Center Director at Malones Early Learning Center.
“I am in agreement with this plan as it is reasonable And most
centers are following the standards, precautions, and safeguards put
in place. I think this plan will have the potential to relieve
stress for parents returning to the workforce knowing they will have
care available,” said Marlena Constant, Legislative Chair for
Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children.
“This plan follows the best available information and
recommendations from local, state, and international medical and
public health officials. The Governor’s phased reopening approach
will allow providers to reopen their centers and homes, providing
parents with the child care they need to go to work as Illinois’
businesses reopen—and most importantly, doing so in the safest way
possible,” said Maria Whelan, President and CEO of Illinois Action
for Children.
Reopening Child Care in Illinois Guidelines - Pfd
[Text from file received from
] |
