State Rep. Litesa Wallace speaks with Rockford-area child care providers and parents about stopping Gov. Rauner’s rule changes that are decimating CCAP,
Wed, 09/23/15

Advocates Thank and Highlight Rep. Wallace’s Child Care Speech On House Floor that Went Viral With Almost 5 Million Views, Saying She “Speaks the Language of Working Moms”

CONTACT:  scott.vogel@seiuhcil.org

(September 23rd, 2015) — Rockford-area child care providers, parents and young children held a successful press event with State Representative Litesa Wallace to call on state lawmakers to pass emergency bipartisan legislation to save Illinois’ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).  Right now, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s new eligibility requirements – enacted by Rauner himself without public notice or legislative debate – are currently denying 90% of previously-eligible families access to child care assistance, systematically destroying the program through attrition. (Scroll below to see press release).

See some of the incredible press clips below:

Rockford CBS: State Rep Litesa Wallace Fights Gov. Rauner’s Attacks on Child Care Program

Rockford CBS: State Rep Litesa Wallace Joins Providers to Fight to Save Illinois’ Child Care Program

Rockford ABC: State Rep Litesa Wallace Fights Gov. Rauner’s Destruction of Child Care Program

Child care providers and parents highlighted and thanked Rep. Wallace’s remarkable speech on the House floor – which has gone viral with over 5 million hits.

Rep. Wallace forcefully defended the child care program for working moms while debating SB 570, a bill to reverse Rauner’s extreme rule changes.

Charisse Levingston, a child care provider said about Rep. Wallace’s speech that “she speaks the language of working people.  We are deeply appreciative of her leadership. She spoke to every working mom, every child care provider –and frankly every person of color – and honored our contribution to our communities.”

Gov. Rauner’s new eligibility restrictions are so extreme that a single parent working a full-time minimum wage job now makes too money to quality for child care assistance.

Advocates and working parents demanded that the House bring SB 570 to the floor for a vote which will reverse drastic eligibility rule changes and open the program back up to thousands of families in desperate need of child care assistance.

Since Gov. Rauner’s rule changes to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) which went into effect on July 1^st, 2015 thousands of parents applying to the program have been denied care.  An estimated 5,000 families apply for CCAP every month.

The Child Care Assistance Program has long enjoyed bipartisan support up until this point.  And recent research from Innovation Illinois shows the positive impact it has on our state’s overall economy. Every dollar spent on the Child Care Assistance Program generates up to $8 in economic activity and created over 120,000 jobs in Illinois in FY13.

Illinois businesses tout the flexibility that CCAP provides by accommodating parents with irregular work schedules, in addition to supporting a high quality, well-trained workforce by enabling parents to further their education.  If parents lose their child care, or are denied, they will be forced to make the difficult decision to quit their jobs to care for their children, leave their children unattended, or try to desperately patch together child care from those who may not even have knowledge or training unlike what providers can offer.

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