Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2420 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2420 Introduced , by Rep. Maura Hirschauer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 325 ILCS 85/95-10 Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Sets forth eligibility requirements for Smart Start Workforce Grants. Provides that a grant applicant must: (i) be a licensed day care home, day care center, or group day care home as of the month prior to the applicant submitting an application and maintain the applicable license for the duration of the grant; (ii) regularly provide year-round child care; (iii) meet minimum enrollment levels for children whose care is paid for by the Child Care Assistance Program, child care subsidies for foster child care, or military child care subsidies. Provides that if an applicant does not meet the minimum enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant maintains specified enrollment levels for children with an individualized education program or children who are English learners. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for licensed day care centers applying for a Smart Start Workforce Grant. Effective July 1, 2025. LRB104 10080 KTG 20152 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2420 Introduced , by Rep. Maura Hirschauer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 325 ILCS 85/95-10 325 ILCS 85/95-10 Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Sets forth eligibility requirements for Smart Start Workforce Grants. Provides that a grant applicant must: (i) be a licensed day care home, day care center, or group day care home as of the month prior to the applicant submitting an application and maintain the applicable license for the duration of the grant; (ii) regularly provide year-round child care; (iii) meet minimum enrollment levels for children whose care is paid for by the Child Care Assistance Program, child care subsidies for foster child care, or military child care subsidies. Provides that if an applicant does not meet the minimum enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant maintains specified enrollment levels for children with an individualized education program or children who are English learners. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for licensed day care centers applying for a Smart Start Workforce Grant. Effective July 1, 2025. LRB104 10080 KTG 20152 b LRB104 10080 KTG 20152 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2420 Introduced , by Rep. Maura Hirschauer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	325 ILCS 85/95-10 325 ILCS 85/95-10
4	4	325 ILCS 85/95-10
5	5	Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Sets forth eligibility requirements for Smart Start Workforce Grants. Provides that a grant applicant must: (i) be a licensed day care home, day care center, or group day care home as of the month prior to the applicant submitting an application and maintain the applicable license for the duration of the grant; (ii) regularly provide year-round child care; (iii) meet minimum enrollment levels for children whose care is paid for by the Child Care Assistance Program, child care subsidies for foster child care, or military child care subsidies. Provides that if an applicant does not meet the minimum enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant maintains specified enrollment levels for children with an individualized education program or children who are English learners. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for licensed day care centers applying for a Smart Start Workforce Grant. Effective July 1, 2025.
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8	8	A BILL FOR
9	9	HB2420LRB104 10080 KTG 20152 b HB2420 LRB104 10080 KTG 20152 b
10	10	HB2420 LRB104 10080 KTG 20152 b
11	11	1 AN ACT concerning children.
12	12	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
13	13	3 represented in the General Assembly:
14	14	4 Section 5. The Smart Start Illinois Act is amended by
15	15	5 changing Section 95-10 as follows:
16	16	6 (325 ILCS 85/95-10)
17	17	7 Sec. 95-10. Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation
18	18	8 Program.
19	19	9 (a) The Department of Human Services shall create and
20	20	10 establish the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation
21	21	11 Program. The purpose of the Smart Start Child Care Workforce
22	22	12 Compensation Program is to invest in early childhood education
23	23	13 and care service providers, including, but not limited to,
24	24	14 providers participating in the Child Care Assistance Program;
25	25	15 to expand the supply of high-quality early childhood education
26	26	16 and care; and to create a strong and stable early childhood
27	27	17 education and care system with attractive wages, high-quality
28	28	18 services, and affordable costs.
29	29	19 (b) The purpose of the Smart Start Child Care Workforce
30	30	20 Compensation Program is to stabilize community-based early
31	31	21 childhood education and care service providers, raise the
32	32	22 wages of early childhood educators, and support quality
33	33	23 enhancements that can position service providers to
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37	37	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2420 Introduced , by Rep. Maura Hirschauer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38	38	325 ILCS 85/95-10 325 ILCS 85/95-10
39	39	325 ILCS 85/95-10
40	40	Amends the Smart Start Illinois Act. Sets forth eligibility requirements for Smart Start Workforce Grants. Provides that a grant applicant must: (i) be a licensed day care home, day care center, or group day care home as of the month prior to the applicant submitting an application and maintain the applicable license for the duration of the grant; (ii) regularly provide year-round child care; (iii) meet minimum enrollment levels for children whose care is paid for by the Child Care Assistance Program, child care subsidies for foster child care, or military child care subsidies. Provides that if an applicant does not meet the minimum enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant maintains specified enrollment levels for children with an individualized education program or children who are English learners. Sets forth the eligibility requirements for licensed day care centers applying for a Smart Start Workforce Grant. Effective July 1, 2025.
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43	43	A BILL FOR
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49	49	325 ILCS 85/95-10
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68	68	1 participate in other public funding streams, such as Preschool
69	69	2 for All, in order to further enhance and expand quality
70	70	3 service delivery.
71	71	4 (c) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Human
72	72	5 Services shall implement the Smart Start Child Care Workforce
73	73	6 Compensation Program for eligible licensed day care centers,
74	74	7 licensed day care homes, and licensed group day care homes by
75	75	8 October 1, 2024, or as soon as practicable, following
76	76	9 completion of a planning and transition year. By October 1,
77	77	10 2025, or as soon as practicable, and for each year thereafter,
78	78	11 subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services or
79	79	12 the Department of Early Childhood shall continue to operate
80	80	13 the Smart Start Child Care Workforce Compensation Program
81	81	14 annually with all licensed day care centers, licensed day care
82	82	15 homes, and licensed group day care homes that meet eligibility
83	83	16 requirements. The Smart Start Child Care Workforce
84	84	17 Compensation Program shall operate separately from and shall
85	85	18 not supplant the Child Care Assistance Program as provided for
86	86	19 in Section 9A-11 of the Illinois Public Aid Code.
87	87	20 (d) The Department of Human Services shall adopt
88	88	21 administrative rules by October 1, 2024 to facilitate
89	89	22 administration of the Smart Start Child Care Workforce
90	90	23 Compensation Program, including, but not limited to,
91	91	24 provisions for program eligibility, the application and
92	92	25 funding calculation process, eligible expenses, required wage
93	93	26 floors, and requirements for financial and personnel reporting
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104	104	1 and monitoring requirements. Eligibility and funding
105	105	2 provisions shall be based on appropriation and a current model
106	106	3 of the cost to provide child care services by a licensed child
107	107	4 care center or licensed family child care home.
108	108	5 (e) To qualify for the Smart Start Workforce Grants, the
109	109	6 applicant must meet all of the following requirements in
110	110	7 addition to any other applicable requirements adopted by rule:
111	111	8 (1) Be a licensed day care home, licensed day care
112	112	9 center, or licensed group day care home, as defined in 89
113	113	10 Ill. Adm. Code 406.2, 407.45, and 408.5, as of the month
114	114	11 prior to the applicant submitting an application and
115	115	12 maintain the applicable license for the duration of the
116	116	13 grant.
117	117	14 (2) Regularly provide year-round child care. As used
118	118	15 in this subsection, "year-round child care" means child
119	119	16 care that is open and offering at least 8 consecutive
120	120	17 hours of care per day, 5 days per week for at least 47
121	121	18 weeks per year.
122	122	19 (3) Demonstrate the following enrollment of children
123	123	20 paid for by the Child Care Assistance Program, as provided
124	124	21 in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 50, the Department of Children and
125	125	22 Family Services' child care subsidies for foster child
126	126	23 care, as provided under Section 5a of the Children and
127	127	24 Family Services Act, and military child care subsidies
128	128	25 paid for by the United States Department of Defense, in at
129	129	26 least one month beginning on or after January of the
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140	140	1 previous calendar year, and prior to the date of
141	141	2 application. The minimum enrollments shall be:
142	142	3 (A) For day care centers, at least 15% of licensed
143	143	4 capacity.
144	144	5 (B) For day care homes, at least one child.
145	145	6 (C) For group day care homes, at least 2 children.
146	146	7 (4) If an applicant does not meet the minimum
147	147	8 enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance
148	148	9 Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant
149	149	10 demonstrates the following enrollment of children with an
150	150	11 individualized education program (IEP):
151	151	12 (A) For day care centers, at least 10% of licensed
152	152	13 capacity.
153	153	14 (B) For day care homes, at least one child.
154	154	15 (C) For group day care homes, at least 2 children.
155	155	16 (5) If an applicant does not meet the minimum
156	156	17 enrollment requirements under the Child Care Assistance
157	157	18 Program, the applicant may qualify if the applicant
158	158	19 demonstrates the following enrollment of children who are
159	159	20 English learners as defined in Section 14C-2 of the School
160	160	21 Code:
161	161	22 (A) For day care centers, at least 10% of licensed
162	162	23 capacity.
163	163	24 (B) For day care homes, at least one child.
164	164	25 (C) For group day care homes, at least 2 children.
165	165	26 (f) For licensed day care centers, eligibility shall be
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176	176	1 determined at the classroom level. A classroom must meet the
177	177	2 following requirements to be eligible to receive an award:
178	178	3 (1) May receive Early Childhood Block Grant, Head
179	179	4 Start, or Early Head Start funds.
180	180	5 (2) Not serve school-age children as defined in 89
181	181	6 Ill. Adm. Code 407.45.
182	182	7 (3) If serving infants or toddlers (children under 2
183	183	8 years of age), care for a minimum of 4 children.
184	184	9 (4) If serving 2-year-olds or both 2-year-olds and
185	185	10 3-year-olds, care for a minimum of 8 children.
186	186	11 (5) If serving children 3 to 5 years old, care for a
187	187	12 minimum of 12 children.
188	188	13 (Source: P.A. 103-8, eff. 6-7-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)
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