Thousands of families who lost access to state-subsidized child care this summer are once again eligible. Governor Bruce Rauner in July drastically rolled back the program ... which helps low-income working parents afford daycare. Legislators were set to reverse the cuts last week ... but instead Rauner agreed to a deal. Action yesterday by a bipartisan panel puts that plan into action. Senator Toi Hutchinson, a Democrat from Chicago Heights, helped to negotiate with the governor.
The deal cuts off previously enrolled parents with incomes between 162 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level ... but it's a far cry from Rauner's prior move that limited eligibility at 50 percent of the poverty level. The new standard means a single mother can make about 2,150 dollars a month. Co-pays also increased.
