Get Informed & Get Involved!
As highlighted in WGN Chicago’s recent cover story, the State of Illinois budget crisis is having a profound effect on numerous human services providers, including One Hope United. If you haven’t heard much about this issue yet, we invite you to view the WGN story, which does an excellent job explaining the negative impact of this situation on hard-working Illinois families who rely on child care subsidies to provide their children with top-quality early learning programs like the ones we have at OHU.
We would greatly appreciate your support of our children and families during this critical time. We’ve created a letter for you to download and send directly to your legislators. If you’re unsure of who your legislators are, please click here. Please share with other supporters in your community!
While certain OHU program areas are being funded by DCFS due to pre-existing legal agreements, certain other areas, namely DHS, are currently unfunded. DHS is the primary funder for our Early Learning line of service under a program called the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The governor has implemented ‘emergency rules’ that dramatically change the eligibility criteria for families that would otherwise qualify for subsidy under CCAP. More than 90% of Illinois families are no longer eligible for assistance, leaving them without quality early childcare and OHU with several empty classrooms in our centers.
Make your voice heard by calling or emailing your state legislators and become involved in the fight to ensure that our Illinois programs and services receive the funds that they so greatly need to operate. Most important, you can help many children get back in the classroom and receive the high-quality education that they deserve. From all of us at One Hope United: thank you for your support!
Quick Links:
WGN Story: Major changes coming to Illinois childcare eligibility
