Our office is temporarily closed due to COVID-19.  We hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and safe during this public health emergency.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING MONITORING:   USDA requires food program sponsors to regularly conduct home visits with providers.  Due to the current public health emergency (COVID-19), Reviews will be conducted over the telephone or through a video conferencing tool instead of in-person.  The Virtual Monitoring Review will cover similar information as at a home visit (record-keeping, claim information, child enrollments, nutrition training, etc).  In order to continue your participation on the food program (Child and Adult Care Food Program), the Review is necessary and required.  You will be informed of any issues requiring attention during the Review.   We appreciate your cooperation.

TRAINING REMINDER:  If you have not already done so, please be sure to complete your two hours of mandatory training which is available under RESOURCES tab at IllinoisChildren.com.

Grab-and-Go Reimbursement

The Illinois Child Care Bureau wants to help you serve nutritious meals/snacks especially during this public health emergency.

USDA now allows a combination of congregate feeding (in your home) and non-congregant feeding (Grab-and-Go meals) through the food program.  If your day care home is currently closed due to COVID19 issues and you are aware of children needing meals/snacks who were previously enrolled in your care, you are eligible for food program funds by serving non-congregant meals and snacks (Grab-and-Go) to them.  You need prior approval from the Illinois Child Care Bureau for reimbursement.

Send your request to Info@IllinoisChildren.com along with the answers to the following:

1. Is there a need not served by schools or other community organizations (yes or no)?
2. What is your plan for providing meals/snacks (is the parent/guardian picking up the meals/snacks)?
3. How many meals/snacks will be given to the child? Please keep in mind the child may only be served meals/snacks as stated on their enrollment form.  Depending on the child’s schedule, the day care home provider may claim a maximum of 2 main meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 main meal per child per day.
4. If you are providing meals/snacks for multiple days, then please explain your ability to prepare and store the meals/snacks (refrigeration, safe serving containers to keep food cold/hot, etc). If you are not providing meals/snacks for multiple days, then please answer:  Does not apply.
5. Please state the number and names of children being served Grab-and-Go meals and/or snacks.

Remember:  Safety is a priority.  Social distancing requirements must be maintained during the distribution of meals/snacks.

If you are not operating an emergency child care home (March 21, 2020 and for as long as the public health emergency continues), please email the Illinois Child Care Bureau at info@illinoischildren.com and/or mark your KidKare calendar closed as soon as possible.

Contact your local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency to learn more about the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).  For more information, visit https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news-item.aspx?ReleaseID=21355

Licensing update from DCFS   You received the Guidance for Child Care Centers, Child Care Homes and Early Education Programs from DCFS which states:  Effective March 21, 2020 all child care homes licensed by DCFS are closed.  In response to this closure, the Illinois Child Care Bureau (your food program sponsor) marked all KidKare calendars as “school vacation” from March 17 – April 30, 2020 (similar to marking all calendars “school vacation” for the summer).   Governor Pritzker extended the shelter-in-place order until May 30, 2020, therefore, the Illinois Child Care Bureau has marked all calendars “school vacation” until Labor Day.

The Guidance also states the following for Emergency Child Care Homes:    Effective March 21, 2020 and for as long as the public health emergency continues, child care homes may serve up to six children as a legally license-exempt home.  No application or registration is required.  Providers must follow appropriate health practices.  Providers who are in a higher risk group for COVID-19, such as those over age 60 or with a pre-existing health condition, are discouraged from providing care during the time of the public health emergency.

Food Program Updates   Are you operating an emergency child care home? If so, you may continue to receive food program reimbursement for up to six enrolled children of essential workers (0-12 years).  This includes your own/foster/residential children (0-12 years).  You may not substitute children from day to day unless one of the original six children of essential workers no longer needs your care.  In addition, you are required serve the meals/snacks in your home and record menus/attendance based on the meal patterns.  Please submit your menus within the food program stated timeframes.

If your emergency child care home offers both day care and night care, then you may serve up to six enrolled children of essential workers (0 – 12 years) including your own/foster/residential children (0-12 years).  You may care for one set of six children (of essential workers) for day care (6 am – 6 pm) and a second set of six children (of essential workers ages 0 – 12 years) for night care (6 pm – midnight) only if the day care children leave prior to the night care children arriving.  The capacity of up to six children must include your own/foster/residential children (0 – 12 years) and applies on both shifts for the remainder of the public health emergency.

Your April food program reimbursement will be based on the new DCFS licensing standards.  Please continue to follow the Infant Meal Pattern and the Meal Pattern for Children (in your ILLINOIS CHILD CARE BUREAU PROVIDER GUIDEBOOK).

Please email us with your questions.

Cathy Isaacson   Cathy@IllinoisChildren.com

Kim Klimek   Kim@IllinoisChildren.com

Sarah Quinones   Sarah@IllinoisChildren.com

ICCB Contact Information

The Illinois Child Care Bureau office is located at
5440 N. Cumberland, Suite 303, Chicago, IL 60656.

phone: 773.444.0115
fax: 773.930.4887

Or contact us at Info@IllinoisChildren.com.

 A Provider You Should Know

Ms. Estella Pegues

For the past 17 years, Mrs. Estella Pegues has owned and operated Home Sweet Home Child Care Services located on the Southeast Side of Chicago. Prior to opening her home day care, Mrs. Pegues was a secretary for 20 years. Mrs. Pegues and her husband Johnie raised six sons. Mrs. Pegues discovered she enjoyed the frequent visits of their son’s friends and that their friends enjoyed being in her home, so she decided to dedicate her home and career to caring for children. Shortly after opening the day care, Johnie quit his job and Estella and Johnie have been a day care home team ever since. …

Continue reading "Ms. Estella Pegues"

KidKare is the online claiming method for day care home providers to access Child and Adult Care Food Program funds.

KidKare is free, user-friendly, works on a Mac/PC/smartphone/iPad/tablet – anything with an internet connection.  You can use most major browsers too.

Want to learn how to use it?  Read How to Use KidKare Guide — or view some short training videos at KidKare.com.

Need your login and password?  Call the ICCB office at 773.444.0115 or send  an email to Info@IllinoisChildren.com.

Claim Your Menus

An Illinois Child Care Bureau Program Advisor will come to your home to review all the rules and regulations of the program including how to claim your menus.  CACFP participants are required to record meals/snacks and attendance daily. Meals/snacks must meet the Infant Meal Pattern (ages birth through 11 months) and/or Meal Pattern for Children (ages 1 through 12 years).

Keeping accurate meal and attendance records is simple when claiming online through KidKare by using any device with internet connection — Smart Phone, tablet, or desktop including Android, iPhone, iPad, PC, and Mac.  On the first day of the month, review the previous month’s menus and attendance.  If the information is correct and complete, submit your food program claim online via KidKare.  Be sure to submit the claim online by the 5th day of the month to receive your payment by the end of the month.

Example:  Food program claim for September (all September menus and attendance) should be submitted to the ICCB office on October 1 or by the 5th of the month.

Temporarily lose internet access?  You must complete Daily Meal Worksheets.

ICCB continues to allow providers to use bubble/scannable menu forms (paper forms).  You will need a #2 pencil to completely shade in each and every bubble required on the form which can be time-consuming.  Accuracy is always important especially when using paper menu forms.  Errors may occur when you do not completely fill in each bubble.  Errors can be costly — it may cause a meal/snack to be disallowed which results in you receiving a smaller reimbursement.  Paper claim forms must be mailed to the ICCB office and you are responsible for paying the proper postage.  Mailing the paperwork to the ICCB office by the 5th day of the month will enable you to be part of the first claim.

Per USDA regulations, claims received 60 days past the last day of the claim month will not be reimbursed.

Reimbursement Process

In Illinois, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is administered by the Illinois State Board of Education and funded by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) for cash reimbursement to licensed and license-exempt day care home providers for serving nutritious meals and snacks to children in their care.

All sponsor organizations provide the exact same rate of reimbursement.

Effective July 1, 2019, this chart indicates the rate of reimbursement for day care home providers:

Day care home providers can qualify for Tier 1 rates based on residential school boundaries, census data, or household income. The Illinois Child Care Bureau office (ICCB) makes school and/or census determination based on information supplied by the Illinois State Board of Education as well as household income provided by the day care home provider. Eligible providers may also apply to claim residential children through age 12 by completing a Household Eligibility Application. If approved, residential children may be claimed on CACFP as long as at least one non-residential day care child is claimed for reimbursement. If a provider does not qualify based on the above criteria, Tier II rates are assigned.

Depending on the child’s schedule, a day care home provider may claim a maximum of 2 main meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 main meal per child per day.  See Claim Your Menus for information on requirements for claiming reimbursement.

The ICCB processes provider menus and submits a monthly claim for reimbursement to the Illinois State Board of Education. When funds are received electronically from the Illinois State Board of Education, the ICCB can send a direct deposit to your bank account (checking or savings). Direct deposit is safe, efficient, and it’s fast. If needed, the ICCB will write a paper check and mail it to your day care home via the US Post Office. Go green and use direct deposit!

Annual training on Civil Rights training is a program requirement.  It is the responsibility of the day care home provider to inform parents/guardians to file complaints appropriately.   If someone feels they have been treated differently and their Civil Rights have been violated, they may want to file a complaint with the US Department of Agriculture.   A day care home provider should never discourage individuals from filing a complaint and must provide the complainant with the information to do so.

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