The ongoing issues around the faulty Child Care Management System launched by Deloitte Consulting LLP and the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Child Care Assistance Program continue to cause hardship for child care providers and working parents across Illinois.

Since the launch of the new system in January, parents have experienced delays in approval of applications for child care services, and providers have experienced delays in the processing of certificates, incorrect payments, and the truly devastating experience of no payments at all.

These extreme delays are still being experienced and some providers are facing eviction, utility shut-off notices, and mounds of late payment and overdraft fees.

Over the last week and a half, providers logged hundreds of phone calls to Deloitte, sharing personal stories of hardship and demanding that the company take steps to fix their system as soon as possible. A small delegation then went to Deloitte in person, delivering a letter on behalf of the 28,000 child care providers statewide serving parents and children in the Child Care Assistance Program.

Sharon Norwood, a child care provider of 23 years from Evergreen Park, joined the delegation to hand deliver a letter to Deloitte’s Central Region Chief. “I was waiting on late payments up until recently, but my fellow providers are still suffering. We provide critical services for working parents so I don’t understand why Deloitte isn’t taking this issue seriously. I will continue to fight back against this broken system until every provider receives the payments they’re waiting on!”

Stay tuned for more news and ways to get involved in the fight for timely child care payments.