Last Wednesday, ILDOCC participated in a forum with Governor Pritzker alongside CCAU and SIECAT. This was an opportunity for 3 organizations in the childcare field to ask the Governor directly about issues facing our industry. For us at ILDOCC, we were anxious to present your real-life concerns that you face daily inside your center and allow the Governor the chance to share his thoughts and ideas.
ILDOCC’s main focus was on the staffing crisis we all face, even before COVID, that causes staff burnout, difficulty keeping rooms open, and waiting lists for families who need care. We shared with the Governor how DCFS has not come to the table with our organization to reach solutions on the staffing crisis though top legislators have asked them to and DCFS has agreed to.. It was our goal to draw attention to the fact that the department is currently facing their own crisis, and it has been said that an agency in crisis is not equipped to sufficiently respond to the day to day operations let alone to handle the ongoing staffing crisis that plagues the ECE industry.
Throughout our discussion with the Governor, we were able to bring to his attention the pending expiration of the 3-hour rule and that we were hopeful to obtain a commitment to work with ILDOCC to come up with solutions to our current staffing crisis.
Within 24 hours of this forum, ILDOCC received a call from DCFS to discuss further the things brought up during the meeting. We have a meeting scheduled in August with DCFS to continue conversations around the 3-hour rule.
If you missed the chance to watch the forum with the Governor, please check it out using the link below. It is important to stay educated and on top of the issues facing our programs and to stay educated on how our leaders are or are not working to resolve those issues.
ILDOCC is honored to have had the opportunity to represent directors and owners across the state in this important discussion; however, none of this would be possible without you, our members.
Please visit ildocc.org to learn more about how you can join this
organization fighting for you at the State Capitol!!
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