Financial Opportunities

workforcebonus

Child Care Workforce Bonus

On Monday, September 13, 2021, the Governor announced a Child Care Workforce Bonus program to recognize the efforts of child care staff who served and continue to serve children and families in person during the pandemic. This bonus is funded by federal pandemic relief funds and will be administered through the Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA). The Child Care Workforce bonus will provide bonuses of up to $1,000 for eligible child care providers.  


CCWB applications closed on April 29, 2022.

CCWB applications were available from October 2021 - April 2022.  

pdf Child Care Workforce Bonus Flyer (841 KB)  - pdf (Spanish) (844 KB)
pdf Child Care Workforce Bonus FAQ (883 KB) - pdf (Spanish) (949 KB)

Tip sheets specific to provider type:


CCWB Reporting

Programs that have an eligible CCWB and have received their bonus check needed to complete reporting by June 30, 2022.


Child Care Workforce Bonuses were available to all staff in:

Programs were able to apply to receive funds for their staff and should expect to receive sufficient funding to administer bonus amounts of approximately $750-$1200 per staff member. Funding will include a percentage for payroll taxes, and non-teaching staff as well. 

Programs were able to apply for this one-time bonus between October 2021 and April 29, 2022. 

Licensed Family Child Care, Licensed Centers and License-exempt Centers who care for Children on CCAP
Things you can do to prepare for the Child Care Workforce Bonus Application:

  1. The application process was available through the Gateways Registry Director Portal. If you do not currently have access to the Director Portal request access today! Simply complete the Access Request Form and upload it as an attachment using the Help Center request form.  It takes 2-3 business days to process an Access Request Form. 
  2. Review and update your staff listing in the Director Portal and encourage your staff to update their Gateways Registry information so award amounts can be as accurate as possible.  It is always good to check and update your staff listing at least once a month.  Remove individuals that no longer work at your program, and make sure the current staff are listed in your portal. See this Help Center article for more information.
  3. Read the  pdf frequently asked questions (883 KB) ! This document will help answers many of your questions and prepare you to submit a complete and correct application.  
  4. The following items are required to complete a new grant application.

License-Exempt Centers caring for children on CCAP and License-Exempt Non-Relative Homes caring for children on CCAP:

  1. Complete required Health and Safety Training to care for children on the Child Care Assistance Program. Details on the required training can be found here. License-exempt centers and license-exempt homes must have completed this training to be eligible to receive Child Care Workforce Bonuses.

Child Care Workforce Bonus Reporting Dashboards 

pdf CCWB Reporting Dashboard (117 KB)  

Excelerate Program

ExceleRate Illinois helps you prepare children for success in school and in life.

It also provides standards, guidelines, resources and supports to help you make sensible changes that lead to better quality outcomes for children.