Billy Wilson

Smart Start Workforce Grants can provide child care programs the stable, ongoing funds they need to cover costs and invest in quality without burdening families by raising tuition or co-pays. These grants will allow programs to cover higher staff wages through consistent funding, helping to offset the unpredictable nature and fluctuation of private pay tuition and Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) subsidy payments, considering the true cost of services, and paying in advance rather than in arrears. Programs receiving Smart Start Workforce Grants through IDHS will be required to meet or exceed a wage floor for teachers and assistant teachers, helping them to attract more staff and meet parents’ need for child care at a rate they can afford. Smart Start Workforce Grants are a child care grant program funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services’ (IDHS) Division of Early Childhood (DEC) and administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA).

Eligibility Requirements

Child care centers are eligible for the Smart Start Workforce Grant if they are:

• licensed as a day care center via the Department of Children and Family Services.
• licensed and caring for children by the first of the month prior to the opening of applications. For example, if the application opens on July 1, 2024, programs must be licensed, open, and caring for children by June 1, 2024.
• operating as a full-day, full-year program offering eight consecutive hours of care per day, five days per week, 47 weeks per year.
• For centers - at least 15% of the program’s current licensed capacity (at time of application) enrolled and funded by Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) in any month in the calendar year prior to submitting an application (e.g., any one month between January 2023 – date of application).
• For more information on eligibility visit https://www.ilgateways.com/smart-start/smart-start-workforce-grants

Supporting Documents

Award Details

Scoring rubric and criteria