Help Illinois Childcare Centers Stay Open: Reform DCFS Background Check Rules

I am the owner of a small, family-owned childcare center in Illinois, and I am asking for support in changing the current DCFS background check requirements. These rules are creating serious staffing challenges for childcare providers like me, and I am concerned about the future of my business and the families who depend on us.

When background checks remain pending, childcare centers are left unable to fully staff their classrooms. Under the current restrictions, we cannot simply hire qualified employees and have them work under direct supervision while their background checks are being processed. As a result, centers are forced to make difficult decisions, including closing classrooms, limiting enrollment, and turning families away because we do not have enough available staff.

This issue directly affects my small, family-owned childcare center. I have invested years of hard work, time, and personal commitment into building a place where children can learn, grow, and feel safe. When background checks are delayed and I cannot bring in the staff needed to operate, I face the possibility of having to close classrooms, even when families need care and employees are available to work. If these staffing challenges continue, I am concerned that my center could eventually be forced to close its doors entirely.

My concern extends beyond my own business. Small childcare centers are an essential part of our communities. When classrooms close, or centers shut down, families lose access to childcare, parents may struggle to maintain their jobs, and children lose the consistency and relationships they have built with their teachers. As more centers face these challenges, the availability of childcare across Illinois will continue to suffer.

I am asking Illinois DCFS and state policymakers to immediately reinstate the previous policy that allowed employees to begin working under direct supervision while their background checks were pending, provided all required safeguards were followed. Illinois is facing a childcare staffing emergency, and the current restrictions are adding to an already critical situation. Extended background check delays and limitations on when employees can begin working are forcing childcare centers to close classrooms, limit enrollment, and turn families away. For small, family-owned centers like mine, these challenges threaten our ability to remain open and continue serving our communities. I am calling for the immediate return to the previous rule while maintaining appropriate child safety protections. Children deserve safe, consistent care, families deserve access to reliable childcare, and childcare providers deserve a workable process that allows us to keep our doors open.

This is not a request to weaken child safety standards. Background checks are important, and protecting children must remain a priority. However, I believe there is a way to protect children while also allowing childcare centers to remain staffed and operational during lengthy processing periods.

I have already reached out to the Governor's Office to seek help addressing this issue. I want to bring attention to the policy itself and advocate for a meaningful change, rather than simply reporting individual background check delays.

Please support this petition and help protect small, family-owned childcare centers in Illinois. We need a system that prioritizes child safety while recognizing the real impact these restrictions have on childcare providers, working families, and the children we serve.

Help us keep our classrooms open, protect access to childcare, and give small childcare businesses a fair chance to survive.