Rauner changes course on Illinois child care requirements

Under current Illinois law, half of the amount older workers receive for Social Security is deducted from unemployment benefits. Only families earning less than $7,900 a year were eligible for child care subsidies.

State Representative La Shawn Ford applauds the governor but Alderman Roderick Sawyer is not yet ready to give up on a bill that would restore all the governor’s child care cuts.

For Brenda Crisp, owner of Uni-Pres Kindercottage of East St. Louis, the news was welcome. She said she has had to turn away at least 24 out of 30 clients who applied for assistance.

“Childcare assistance helps keep families working”.

The bill’s sponsor has said he’s studying the veto and will consider an override attempt.

Now, at the 11th hour and ONLY AFTER bipartisan public outcry across Illinois over the pain and suffering caused by cuts that have kicked 70,000 kids off child care, Bruce Rauner comes to the table.

Crisp is a member of the O’Fallon cluster of United Congregations of the Metro-East, which had been lobbying Springfield to find a solution, along with groups such as Children’s Home and Aid and Voices for Illinois Children.

The Governor instituted emergency cuts over the summer during the budget crisis.

Increasing eligibility to 162 percent of Federal Poverty Level from 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

Gladys Raya, a single mother to 5-year-old Analee, struggles every month to make sure her child has an early education.

Trover said the decision was the result of “bipartisan discussions with legislators”. He announced a task force to review the program’s long-term stability. “While I think it’s a great compromise, if it was possible now, why wasn’t it possible in July?”

“We are living in a community where they can not afford child care. Our children deserve nothing less”, the senator said.

While the program may not be back to it’s original standards others believe it’s a step in the right direction.

The changes are contained in the latest amendment to Senate Bill 1941.

“It’s been months of not knowing if we were going to make it to the end of the year if they didn’t change the eligibility criteria”, Rhodes said.