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Child care and the workforce

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Illinois

* During last year’s campaign, Bruce Rauner talked often about people dropping out of the labor force. For instance, here’s a press release…

Bruce Rauner: “Tens of thousands of people are giving up looking for work because of Pat Quinn’s failed policies. More than 63,000 people have given up hope on finding a job since April and Pat Quinn is out celebrating — it’s downright offensive to struggling families around Illinois.”

* Well, slashing the Child Care Assistance Program is certainly making families struggle and risks driving thousands out of the workforce…

Danielle Kimble hasn’t had the easiest year.

The 25-year-old single mom recently was hit with a double whammy. She was laid off from her job as a receptionist for Youth Services Network, a nonprofit that serves disadvantaged youths in Winnebago and Boone Counties, at the beginning of October because of the state budget impasse. Unemployment checks have helped, but now if she finds a new job, Kimble could lose the state child care assistance she needs for four-year-old Ja’ciane’s day care.

“It’s like I lose either way,” Kimble said.

Kimble, like thousands of other low-income parents throughout northern Illinois, is the victim of drastic cuts to the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, which provided child care subsidies to qualifying full-time workers or students. Citing a lack of funds due to Illinois’ unsolved budget crisis, Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration in July enacted “emergency” rules that greatly reduced the scope of program. Before cuts, a family of two could qualify for the program by earning $2,456 a month. Now, the same family can only receive subsidies if breadwinners take in $664 a month — less money than a full-time, minimum-wage employee makes. […]

When Kimble received child care assistance, she said she paid only $50 to $80 per month to send Ja’ciane to Hand-n-Hand Child Care Center in Loves Park. Now, she must pay $145 per week to cover her son’s combination day care and preschool. Without an income, Kimble owes thousands of dollars in back payments to Hand-n-Hand. She’s been trying to get out of debt and wants to move to a nicer apartment, but her child care dilemma is holding her back.

* From a recent analysis by Illinois Action for Children…

• The number of child care assistance applications submitted in August 2015 is down almost 50 percent from August 2014. This suggests that many parents, knowing they will be denied, are deciding to not even apply.

• The CCAP caseload decreased by 9 percent, from 154,050 to 140,812 [almost 15,000 people], after just one month of data collected under the new rules.

• Since July 1 st, 100 providers in Cook County alone have reported closing their doors

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:44 am

Comments

As someone who leans right on economic issues, this drives me insane. Instead of providing temporary assistance to help people get on their feet, the Governor is making people quit their jobs and go on public assistance. A failure on so many levels.

Comment by Spiritualized Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:48 am
They still have food stamps. Let them eat cake. /s

Gutting a core part of welfare reform is, as we’ve discussed, Penny wise and pound foolish. And morally reprehensible imho.

Comment by Keyrock Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:50 am
But, hey, “Leverage!”. Disgusting.

Comment by CharlieKratos Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:50 am
Just more collateral damage. Crisis creates leverage (and more reliance on public assistance with no foreseeable hope of moving beyond).

Comment by Cubs in '15 Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:51 am
Wow, Rich, you are a master working in his medium. I don’t know what the technique is called that you just used but I have to say I never tire of it. Formula: Current quote - past quote/action + Current Commentary = Evisceration of hypocrisy

Comment by Honeybear Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:54 am
Dear Danielle, I feel your pain. However, I’m in the middle of a grand crusade to destroy unions to improve the economy of Illinois. We also have to reduce government spending in Illinois to improve the economy of Illinois. That may make it harder for you to find and maintain employment, we’re going to improve the economy of Illinois. We also want to change unemployment to improve the economy of Illinois. While you have to go through short term pain, you will benefit from a roaring economy in 5 or 10 years down the road.

Respectfully, Bruce
(/s)

Comment by Norseman Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:55 am
I remain shocked that not one Illinos GOP GA member will defend welfare-to-work assistance and instead would drive those willing to work for short pay back to the dole.

Welfare reform was the single biggest GOP accomplishment in 30 years and they’re turning their backs on it.

Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:58 am
Spiritualized @10:48am nails it. Hope you post more around here.

Thanks, Rich, for continuing to cover this issue.

Absent any progress on the budget as a whole, coudl Gov. Rauner choose to ask the legislature to approve funds for restoring this program?

Comment by Robert the Bruce Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:59 am
Cubs in ‘15, with all due respect I hate your nickname. Nothing personal. Just too painful of a reminder of promise lost.

Comment by Norseman Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 10:59 am
Hi Rich,

Bruce Rauner wants Danielle Kimble to know that he feels her pain. And he wants to let her know that her troubles stem from a lack of Right To Work, not childcare or any other sham excuses. If unions are allowed to operate in Illinois, how can we afford to pay our workers less?

Best,
ck!

Comment by How Ironic Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:00 am
Actually, given that welfare costs are higher than childcare subsidies on a per capita basis, this is both penny foolish and and pound foolish. Actually, it is completely foolish by any and all measures.

Comment by Concerned Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:01 am
I feel your pain Norseman. Better?

Comment by Cubs in '16 Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:06 am
If the state subsidizes childcare there’s an item in the budge: X dollars spent for that purpose. The subsidy may result in increased level of well-being for the recipients (not only economic), a higher general level of economic activity, and consequently greater tax receipts. But those things do not have separate lines in the budget—indeed it would be extremely hard to estimate how much of the change in tax receipts from one year to the next is due to an increase or decrease in childcare subsidies.

So what’s needed is leadership that can look beyond lines in the budget. The whole tenor of politics in this country, at least for the last 30 years, discourages this. And Rauner’s background may make him particularly unsuited for the task.

Comment by UIC Guy Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:09 am
This is what Rauner is doing to make Illinois “the most compassionate” and “the most competitive” state in the country? “Competitive” only if those like Danielle Kimble are racing to the unemployment line. And surely he mistakenly believes that the word “compassion” means heartless.

Comment by 4th Street Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:14 am
Cubs in ‘16, much. Thank you.

Comment by Norseman Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:16 am
September active CCAP cases will be dramatically lower from September 2014.

20% of the CCAP children went to kindergarten in August.

We are saving money now. /s

Comment by cdog Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:19 am
Am I reading this correctly?
1. You have to be employed full time
2. The amount to qualify for a Child Care subsidy is less than the income from a full time minimum wage job

So who qualifies for a Child Care subsidy, other than those who are grandfathered in? A thing of beauty if you are an equity person….. This is a pretty cruel rule that will not save money. Not sure how the Gov can look at himself in the mirror.

Comment by otherwise Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:20 am
If we only had an effective advocacy group in Illinois, something like Ounce of Prevention, this wouldn’t happen. /s

Comment by Keyrock Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:21 am
More, more, and more stories are needed like this one. That is leverage. I’m sure no action will be taken between now and 60/30, but these people need to have their voices heard across the state and the nation as that time approaches. The ILGOP needs to realize there will be life beyond Rauner, and that they will be instrumental in determining the quality of that life for the People of the State of Illinois, not for a few (handful) of billionaires (you know, the “world leaders” Rauner has been meetin’ with).

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:33 am
Stories like this are one of the best arguments I have heard to increase minimum wage.

Comment by SAP Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:48 am
Hey Keyrock, Rauner’s wife runs The Ounce of Prevention agency! Are you sure that you want her as an advocate?

Comment by Barrystreet Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:55 am
The ONLY possible “logic” I can think of behind this policy is that it was supposed to be part of the “drive a wedge between unions and social service providers” strategy. It was supposed to make the public think “Greedy union bosses with their unreasonable demands are depriving working women of child care.”

If anything, all it’s doing is making people think “This greedy governor with HIS unreasonable demands is depriving working women of child care.”

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 11:59 am
Otherwise: Go to www.ilga.gov, click on the “Administrative Rules” link and look up Title 89, Part 50. Those are the current rules for the CCAP. As far as I can tell, it is NOT restricted only to full-time workers, but if you work only part-time you qualify for only part-time child care as well.

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:11 pm
How about not having children you can’t afford to care for?

Comment by DonaldTrump Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:12 pm
==- DonaldTrump - Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:12 pm:==

Your ignorance must make for blissful living.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:23 pm
==How about not having children you can’t afford to care for?==

Please tell me you’re kidding, right? I guess with a name like DonaldTrump, I really don’t think you are. That’s a shame.

Have you not thought about the countless people who started off financially stable and then had to turn to assistance when they were laid off? Or the mothers who are now single from divorce who need child-care assistance because she now has to work TWO jobs to supplement that non existent second income?

Seriously though, that is such an ignorant statement. Ugh…

Comment by Vanessa Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:23 pm
“How about not having children you can’t afford to care for?”

I have two graduate degrees and waited until I was financially stable in my 30s to have children. I didn’t know one of them would be autistic. I also didn’t know that the state would drastically slash autism funding. I didn’t know my local school district would be down a DOZEN special ed teachers and barely able to meet his needs to be physically safe in the building, leaving aside whether or not he’d be receiving any education. I didn’t know he would be forbidden from all after care programs because he’s autistic. So I am dropped completely out of the workforce because there is literally no one to care for my child other than me. I would be earning and paying taxes on about $70,000/year if I could get adequate care and support for my autistic child. I can’t. So I stay home and we muddle along with one salary, no retirement savings, and woefully inadequate services for my child.

How should I have handled it, Trump, send him back? Dropped him on the doorstep of DCFS when we got the diagnosis?

Comment by Illinois Mom Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:24 pm
“How about not having children you can’t afford to care for?”

Your parents obviously did a bang-up job raising you.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:24 pm
==How about not having children you can’t afford to care for?==

Going forward a good concept, but irrelevant in this situation. The children already exist and need care.

Comment by Qui Tam Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:24 pm
“a good concept, but irrelevant in this situation”

Another reason “don’t have kids you can’t afford” is irrelevant: the actual child care subsidy is paid to the care provider, NOT the parent, and it only pays for care provided during hours that a parent is working and/or engaged in school or job training. It’s not a cash handout that can be spent on oneself and it doesn’t provide babysitting so one can go out and party or watch TV, etc. all day. There is no possible “incentive” that I can think of which would motivate a woman to have children she couldn’t otherwise afford, purely to take advantage of CCAP.

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:37 pm
@Illinois Mom

BAM! God bless you and your family.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:40 pm
Secret Square +1

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:42 pm
Just to clarify, I don’t mean to imply that other types of assistance are sought purely for selfish reasons — I just want to make clear that there is absolutely NO reason to think CCAP is.

Comment by Secret Square Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:42 pm
Kids need to be taken care of - period. If you want to delve into reforms, great. I think this is an issue that can be funded for FY2016 and reformed/revamped at the same time.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:46 pm
@Keyrock

Or as the Register Star put it when they editorialized against Rauner’s cuts: “Penny foolish and pound foolish.”

http://www.rrstar.com/article/20151019/OPINION/151019484

Comment by ChinaTown Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 12:52 pm
This is a no-brainer trap that Arduin somehow sucked Rauner into, and he cannot seem to figure out a way to escape.

GOP legislators should bail him out on this one. Seriously.

Comment by walker Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 1:05 pm
Donald Trump- do us all a favor and go back to NYC! Illinois Mom- You deserve our respect. Rich- Thank you for keeping this issue alive. Is there any way you could get other media to get on board? Why isn’t there more outrage? Because too many (like Ives) believe it’s only “those people” who need childcare assistance.

Comment by Former Hoosier Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 1:30 pm
Secret Square, sorry that my question did not come out as planned. I only wanted to point out the craziness that even if you are working full time in a minimum wage job, you could not get a childcare subsidy.

Comment by otherwise Friday, Oct 23, 15 @ 1:48 pm