As Illinois begins to re-open, and people go back to work, they'll need safe and reliable child care.
That was the message Wednesday from Gov. JB Pritzker when he announced a sizeable portion of federal CARES Act funds will go to child care providers.
At Skip-a-long Child Development Services in Moline, he said he and the General Assembly had agreed to spend $270 million from COVID relief funds to help closed centers reopen, and help those that had managed to stay open to expand and accept more children.
"With today's announcement, Illinois is the first state in the United States to build this kind of support program with our coronavirus relief funds. This is an historic investment in our state's child care infrastructure," Pritzker said.
In addition to re-opening safely, the governor hopes the federal money will help hold down the cost of child care. Providers can help decide how to distribute the money by filling out an online survey on the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies website.
