RALLY SET TODAY FOR CHILD-CARE PROPOSAL

CAIRO, Ill. -- Children from child care centers in two Illinois cities are sending a little piece of their hearts to the statehouse in Springfield today.

Representatives from Tip's Tot and Tip's Treehouse in Herrin and Tip's Learning Tree in Cairo are taking over 260 handmade hearts to present to local legislators in support of HB 630 and delivering the message that "Quality Child Care and Education is the Heart of a Working Family".

Nancy Beard, chief operations officer of both child care centers, said the rally in Springfield is part of a campaign to provide quality child care for working families of Illinois.

"HB 630 will make it easier for parents to pay for quality child care," said Beard. She said the bill makes child care assistance available to all poor working families with household incomes that are at or below 60 percent of the state median income, or approximately $26,000 per year for a family of three by the fiscal year 2000.

Beard said the bill would keep families off of welfare and in the work force.

"In response to new federal welfare reform, Gov. (Jim) Edgar has proposed making changes to the way the Illinois' child care system works," she said. "The legislation calls for a 10 percent increase in the rate paid to child care centers. Thus, more centers will be more likely to take subsidies if it pays more."

Beard said there are long waiting lists for subsidized child care. She said child care centers, for financial reasons, do not have enough money allocated to take on more children. "This legislation will allow those families who have fallen through the cracks to obtain child care and stay off welfare roles and remain in the work force."

Beard said Edgar's plan to help meet child care needs as a result of federal welfare reform falls short of meeting the needs of the approximately 70,000 more families that will need some type of child care assistance. She said the governor's plan cuts most families off when their income reaches $17,000 for a family of three and cuts off families who have worked their way off welfare after two years, if their income is between $17,000 and $26,000.

"I don't know what's going to happen to these families," said Beard. "If this bill does not pass Illinois families will be in trouble. I feel sorry for them and my heart goes out to them."

She said she fears that families will be forced into alternative care measures that will lower the quality of care and may even be harmful to the children. "Families will be forced to make choices that will lower the quality of care and may even leave children at home alone," said Beard.

State Rep. David Phelps said he plans to attend today's rally. He said he supports HB 630 in its present form but hesitates to say he will vote on the bill if any changes are made by the time it reaches its final reading.

"There has been talk of changes to the second reading of the bill," he said. "I have leaned toward voting for the bill but there may be things I may or may not agree with during the next reading of it."

Phelps said HB 630 may not come up for a vote until next week or the week after. He said the bill may even go back to committee again before it reaches its final form.