Emergency rules from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services that limited who could watch over day care rooms with children younger than 2 years old remain on hold. DCFS was supposed to appear before JCAR last week, but state Sen. Don DeWitte, who serves on the commission, said there is still no resolution and the agency didn’t show up last week.
The issue with the day care rules is that day care centers, due to staff shortages, have become VERY reliant on assistants to supervise when teachers are absent, have to take breaks or when they have to arrive late or leave early, etc. DCFS’ unofficial policy during the pandemic (the 3-hour rule) never clearly indicated that there was an age limit for the children who could be so supervised (only 2 and older). DCFS now insists that they never intended to lower the age limit and that it is a non negotiable safety issue because infants and toddlers can’t be… Read more »
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
The issue with the day care rules is that day care centers, due to staff shortages, have become VERY reliant on assistants to supervise when teachers are absent, have to take breaks or when they have to arrive late or leave early, etc. DCFS’ unofficial policy during the pandemic (the 3-hour rule) never clearly indicated that there was an age limit for the children who could be so supervised (only 2 and older). DCFS now insists that they never intended to lower the age limit and that it is a non negotiable safety issue because infants and toddlers can’t be… Read more »