Chicago, IL – Governor Bruce Rauner quietly signed a law Friday, which removes barriers for working parents accessing child care in an effort to cover up his multi-year assault on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).

“Not only did Rauner not lift a finger during this process, but his record on child care is absolutely despicable,” said Brynn Seibert, vice president at SEIU Healthcare Illinois and director of the Child Care Division.

The legislation was actually the result of a bi-partisan legislative effort fueled by SEIU, advocates, and working families. HB 4965 extends eligibility for families in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to 12 months, up from 6 months. This will mean greater continuity of care and more stability for working parents, children, and child care providers across Illinois.

Rauner began his war on child care in the summer of 2015, unilaterally slashing the Child Care Assistance Program by 90%. Time and again, the governor vetoed legislation to restore and expand CCAP eligibility, despite desperate pleas from many parents that his CCAP cuts put them at risk of losing their jobs or having to drop out of school.

After two years, SEIU child care providers and working parents have forced Governor Rauner to fully reverse his child care cuts. However, the damage has been done. Today CCAP serves nearly 40,000 fewer children than before Rauner’s 2015 cuts and has 10,000 fewer child care providers in program.

“Experts say the state is doing virtually nothing to market that the program has been expanded, and that the governor is doing even less to ensure the program’s future vitality,” One Illinois Media recently reported.

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Watch the video: Rauner’s Real Record on Child Care

Read a timeline of Rauner’s child care cuts

Related: SEIU Healthcare in the News

CHILD-CARE UNION RIPS RAUNER
One Illinois Media – Ted Cox – August 20, 2018

Guv signs CCAP bill, but SEIU Healthcare Illinois says ‘damage has been done Politico Illinois Playbook – Shia Kapos – August 21, 2018