Daycares are in high demand because of high inflation, the economy and the adverse business climate in Illinois, according to a state lawmaker.
Senate Bill 3207 was signed into law earlier this month and State Sen. Andrew Chesney said it will be extremely helpful to working families by allowing daycare centers to operate on a 24-hour basis to accommodate shift workers.
“High inflation, property taxes and the adverse business climate are making it more challenging for one person to stay home and one person to work. It’s putting more pressure on families with children, requiring both parents to work, so you’re going to have a greater demand for childcare,” said Chesney.
When asked how daycares will staff a 24-hour operation amidst an ongoing staffing shortage, Chesney said the biggest issue is that the industry is incredibly regulated.
“The challenge that people are having is that those that want to engage in business have to wait several months to do so. We’ve called on the governor’s office, it’s not unique to Gov. J.B. Pritzker…there was a similar problem under the former Republican governor as well, it’s very bureaucratic,” said Chesney. “They push back and say they’re doing this in the name of ‘safety,’ of course we certainly want to make sure people are qualified to run these facilities and insured, however, we also have to recognize there’s a great need for this and that need can’t be satisfied if they [potential daycare workers] are caught up in the bureaucratic web of Springfield.”
Chesney explained the legislature needs to work with the Department of Human Services to streamline the licensing process to meet the high demand for child care. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is responsible for licensing day care centers and DCFS uses DHS’ standards.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Jil Tracy, explained that prior to her bill, DCFS’ regulations were limiting daycare from operating 24-hours.
“[Prior to this law, daycares] would have to be shut down for an hour and that’s not how some manufacturing or healthcare facilities operate,” said Tracy. “You have to have 24/7 coverage.”
Tracy explained that if a daycare is struggling with staffing they are not mandated to offer 24-hour coverage. Her bill amends DCFS’ rule that daycares can only be a 23-hour operation.
“I was surprised it was limited to 23-hours. If both of you are in the medical field and you have the same evening shift you’d have to work around it. This gives flexibility to those daycares who want to fill that void. In no way is it mandatory, and it’s limited for people who have that kind of a shift-need,” said Tracy.
Tracy explained the legislation prevents people, seeking childcare, from dropping their kids off to go on a weekend trip because this new 24-hour accommodation is strictly for parents with a need for accommodation.
Tracy explained that DCFS currently oversees the rules to ensure parents aren’t abusing the 24-hour daycare operations, but she expects Pritzker’s new state agency, the Department of Early Childhood, will assume the duties when it is operational.
