Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced today the State of Illinois is helping rural child care providers.
The Illinois governor has launched a pilot program to support quality improvements.
The following centers are participating in the pilot:
• Amity Learning Center, Freeport
• Bright Beginning Learning Day Care Center, LLC, Harrisburg
• Bright Start Child and Family Education Center, Mount Vernon
• Buckeroo Early Education Center, Inc., Flora
• Bumblebee Child Care Center & Pre-K, Mt. Vernon
• Centralia's Mary's House, Centralia
• Decatur Day Care, Decatur
• D's Day Care, Breese
• Educational Child Care Center, Jacksonville
• Kiddie Kollege Early Childhood Center, Fairfield
• Kids Corral, Frankford
• Kids Day Out, Murphysboro
• Knox County YMCA Early Learning Center, Galesburg
• Little Angels Learning Center, Harrisburg
• Malone's Early Learning Center, Inc., Carterville
• Murry's Child Development Center, DeSoto
• Prairieland Kids Daycare and Learning Center, Inc., Morris
• Presbyterian Church Day Care Center, Jacksonville
• Primrose Academy, Sandoval
• Rainbow Day Care Center, Inc., Eldorado
• RBC Early Education, LLC dba KidZone, Olney
• Robin's Nest, Carbondale
• Robin’s Nest, Carterville
• Robin’s Nest, Marion
• Step by Step, Aquarius in Ottawa
• Step by Step, Diamond
• Step by Step, McKinley in Ottawa
• Step by Step, Morris
• Stepping Stones Children’s Center II, LLC, Charleston
• Stepping Stones Children’s Center II, LLC, Mattoon
• Sunny Days Child Care & Learning Center, Vandalia
• The Learning Zone, Mattoon
• The Little School House, LLC, Mattoon
• We Care Center, Macomb
• Yellow Brick Road Learning Adventure, Marion
There are obstacles facing rural child care provider in meeting state standards, accoring to a news release from the governor's office.
So, the governor's office is distributing nearly $4 million per year to 35 rural child care providers in the state.
These 35 centers include 577 teachers and assistants in 104 infant/toddler classrooms, 63 preschool classrooms, and 37 school-age rooms. The Pilot is supported by the federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) and state child care funds.
The money can be used to hire additional child care workers or give raises to their current employees.
You can find a list of child care providers participating in the program in the sidebar with this story.
