CHICAGO-Following is the response of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Vice President Brynn Seibert to the breaking news the Rauner administration seeks to restore some eligibility to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) after implementing disastrous cuts in 2015 that have left 30,000 fewer families enrolled:

“When Gov. Bruce Rauner first implemented the limits to the Child Care Assistance Program, every expert in the field, including the then-director of the program, predicted disaster. And they were right.

 

“While restoration of the program to pre-Rauner-cuts levels would be welcome, and was part of the promise he made Illinoisans, it cannot be separated from the reality that his administration continues to implement back-door cuts that could lead to almost 15,000 child care providers being purged in the coming months. What good is a restored program if there are no providers to give care?

 

“These back-door cuts sought by the Rauner administration via arbitrary interpretation of new federal training guidelines remain a threat to working families and will fall predominantly on poor women of color.

 

“Illinois may NEVER recover from the damage that Gov. Rauner visited on a successful system of child care built up over the years. But as he faces re-election, we welcome an examination of his record when it comes to the thousands of working parents and children whom he has harmed.”

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