On May 15th, 28 House Republicans sent a letter to Governor Pritzker, urging him to allow all Illinois child care providers to reopen as regions move to Phase 3 of the reopening plan. The reopening of childcare centers is listed as a Phase 4 item in Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan. Today the Governor announced that all 5,500 of Illinois’ child care centers that were not deemed as “essential” may indeed reopen on May 29 when all four regions of the state move to Phase 3.
“This was a good decision by the Governor because his Restore Illinois Plan had a lot of people returning to work in Phase 3, while the majority of the state’s child care facilities remained closed until Phase 4,” said Grant. “Now parents won’t have to worry about child care issues if they are part of the group of Illinoisans who can return to work next week on May 29.”
From May 29 through June 26, centers will be limited to 10 children per classroom, which reflects approximately 70% of pre-pandemic capacity. “I’m glad the Governor recognized the importance of childcare as people return to work in higher numbers, and am pleased to know that more people will now be able to return to work on May 29, whether they are child care providers or parents who require child care so they can return to their own jobs.”
You can read the House Republicans’ letter here.