Proposed Cuts to FY11 Child Care Budget Reduced

Proposed Cuts to FY11 Child Care Budget Reduced

Good News! After hearing from  thousands of advocates from across the state, Governor Quinn  has announced that the DHS FY11 budget will be cut by $56 million. This is a significant decrease from the amount of $200 million as originally announced in early February. 

To achieve the necessary cuts in the child care budget, the following  program guideline changes  for Child Care will go into effect April 1st.

• Copays will be increased to the revised copay scale.  When Illinois received federal stimulus money ( America Reinvestment and Recovery Act - known as ARRA) parent copays were temporarily reduced. It was always  planned that once the ARRA funds were no longer available, parent copays would need to be increased.  Since a change in copays has already been in the works, parents and providers were notified of this change in early January.  The good news is that this increase will be below Pre-ARRA levels.  This means that co pays for parents will increase, but not go as high as they were prior to ARRA as originally feared if the deeper cuts in child care  were made.

• Eligibility for the IDHS Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) will be reduced to 185% of federal poverty.  Current eligibility is 200% of the poverty level. Families currently in the Child Care Assistance Program  (CCAP) that fall between 185% and 200% of federal poverty will remain eligible until their next redetermination.  All new applications beginning after 4/1/11 will be determined based on the new 185% eligibility guidelines.

Your calls and emails to the Governor and elected officials really made a difference!  Now we encourage you to follow up and thank the Governor for sparing families and child care programs from more drastic cuts.   Please take the time to contact Governor Quinn and thank him for his continued committment to children and families!
With the FY11 state budget decisions finally determined, we now must turn our attention to the FY 12 budget.  Illinois AEYC will continue to keep our members informed about proposed appropriations for early childhood programs in the FY 12 budget. It is never too early to call your State Representative and Senator and tell them that early care and education must be a priority!