STEPHANIE KIFOWIT STATE REPRESENTATIVE 84TH DISTRICT
  • HOME
  • ABOUT STEPHANIE
  • NEWS & EVENTS
    • NEWS & EVENTS
    • DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
    • PRESS RELEASES >
      • NEW PRESS RELEASES
      • PRESS RELEASES 2023
      • PRESS RELEASES 2022
      • PRESS RELEASES 2021
      • PRESS RELEASES 2020
      • PRESS RELEASES 2019
      • PRESS RELEASES 2018 and Prior
  • Contact Us
    • Constituent Services >
      • Flag Flown Over Capitol
      • Constituent Education Resource Card/Museum Card
      • Certificates
      • Youth Advisory Council
  • LEGISLATION
    • LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
  • DISTRICT 84
  • Veteran Suicide Taskforce
  • COMMUNITY RESOURCES
  • Intern with Rep. Kifowit
  • Coffee with Kiffy Podcast
  • Photo Gallery
  • HOME
  • ABOUT STEPHANIE
  • NEWS & EVENTS
    • NEWS & EVENTS
    • DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
    • PRESS RELEASES >
      • NEW PRESS RELEASES
      • PRESS RELEASES 2023
      • PRESS RELEASES 2022
      • PRESS RELEASES 2021
      • PRESS RELEASES 2020
      • PRESS RELEASES 2019
      • PRESS RELEASES 2018 and Prior
  • Contact Us
    • Constituent Services >
      • Flag Flown Over Capitol
      • Constituent Education Resource Card/Museum Card
      • Certificates
      • Youth Advisory Council
  • LEGISLATION
    • LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
  • DISTRICT 84
  • Veteran Suicide Taskforce
  • COMMUNITY RESOURCES
  • Intern with Rep. Kifowit
  • Coffee with Kiffy Podcast
  • Photo Gallery

Press Releases

2024

Kifowit Proposes Legislation to Incentivize Non-Traditional Hour Child Care Programs

1/25/2024

 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois State Representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) is taking a bold step to address the childcare needs of first responders, trade workers and other parents with non-traditional working hours. A bill introduced this week and sponsored by Kifowit aims to appropriate $1,000,000 to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a new grant program, providing tax incentives and credits for child care providers offering non-traditional hours of care.

Reflecting on the bill, Rep. Kifowit said, "This legislation is a direct response to the needs of our dedicated first responders and trade workers who work tirelessly, often during unconventional hours. It's essential that we provide them with the support they need to ensure their children receive quality care.” She added, “this bill aligns with our ongoing commitment to building a more inclusive and supportive community."
In December, Kifowit represented Illinois at the annual Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference brought together thousands of women from across various industries to learn, connect, and share their passion for making the trades industry a more inclusive and equitable place for all. 

Recent data compiled by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. based think tank, revealed that over 203,000 Illinois children under the age of 6 have parents working non-traditional hours–defined as working before 7:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. during the week and anytime on weekends. These parents, employed across various sectors like restaurants, hotels, retail, hospitals, and entertainment venues, face challenges due to the limited operating hours of most child care centers.

While previous legislation has focused on offering night or sleep-time child care for third-shift workers, this new initiative goes beyond those limitations, seeking to provide grants to programs accommodating a broader spectrum of non-traditional hours.

This bill builds on Kifowit’s commitment to child care initiatives. In 2023 she helped ensure that the state’s budget made generational investments in early childhood education and childcare, including a $130 million allocation for Childcare Workforce Compensation Contracts, prioritizing stability for providers and raising wages for childcare workers.

For more information, please contact [email protected] 

# # #
​

​January 25, 2024

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.