Governor Pritzker just announced the release of the Restore Illinois Child Care Guidelines. This document provides an overview of the requirements and recommended practices for child care programs in Phases 3 and 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan. Additional details and guidance materials will be forthcoming to support programs as they plan to reopen or transition back from emergency care to their regular license.
Click here to view Phase III – Guidelines for Chicago Child Care Re-openings
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The Illinois Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD) has developed new resources and made additions to the COVID-19 pages on our website that we would like to share with you:
The All In Illinois website now features a child-friendly content series to connect children and families with educational resources from Illinois museums and attractions.
Erikson Institute’s Policy and Leadership department, in partnership with GOECD and DHS, has released a new webinar to support providers serving children during the pandemic: Emergency Child Care Webinar Series: Social and Emotional Needs.
Erikson Institute is offering scholarships of 25% of the cost of tuition for their online Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate Program. Ideal candidates for this program are experienced professionals who are interested in enhancing their professional capacities with an infant and early childhood mental health lens. All applicants will be considered for scholarship funding. Click here for more information and to complete the online application.
DHS’s Temporary Attendance Exemption form is currently being modified. The updated form will be mailed to providers with their May and June certificates, posted on the IDHS website, and distributed to local CCR&Rs. This new version of the form must be used for May and June. A letter from DHS explaining these changes to CCAP billing certificates for May and June is available here in English and here in Spanish.
Other resources:
COVID for Early Childhood
Emergency Childcare for Providers and Communities
Erickson Institute: Mental Health Services for Children and Families
There are frequent updates on COVID-19. To stay current on reports and guidelines, and how to keep safe and healthy, please see the City of Chicago resource page here.
