Springfield, IL… Governor Pritzker has caved to pressure from both childcare advocates and House Republicans, led by Rep. Margo McDermed (R-Mokena). More childcare centers will now be allowed to reopen in Phase 3 of the Governor’s plan as more families head back to work.
Rep. McDermed and other House Republican members asked the Governor to alter his re-opening plan to accommodate more childcare centers. There were mounting concerns that Pritzker’s current plan will lead to will lead to massive shortages in daycare access and availability as people return to work.
“As childcare owners are mostly women, and women would be the ones forced to stay home if they can’t find sufficient childcare when trying to return to work, Governor Pritzker’s plan as originally proposed, left women all over the state high and dry,” Rep. McDermed said.
Asked repeatedly by reporters about the inconsistencies of his plan with regard to working families and their access to childcare, Pritzker insisted that the states few open childcare facilities for emergency workers would suffice.
In a press release on May 12th, Illinois Directors and Owners of Childcare Centers said that the administrations current rules are putting childcare centers out of business and complained that his reopening plan was not reasonable for families.
In a letter to Governor Pritzker, Rep. McDermed and her colleagues asked that the Governor allow more childcare centers to open and amend their capacity limits. They also asked the Governor to include them and professionals from the private daycare industry in a new childcare working group Pritzker announced. They won a few important concessions today when the governor announced that more childcare centers would be allowed to open in Phase 3.
I’m glad the governor has acknowledged the reality of his arbitrary, and in this case thankfully capricious plan for working families all across this state,” Rep. McDermed concluded.
5/27/2020
Phase 3 Guidelines
https://www2.illinois.gov/IISNews/21577-Restore_Illinois_Child_Care_Guidelines.pdf