Thousands of families who lost access to state-subsidized child care this summer are once again eligible.
Governor Bruce Rauner in July drastically rolled back the program that helps low-income working parents afford daycare.
Legislators were set to reverse the cuts last week , but instead Rauner agreed to a deal.
Action Tuesday by a bipartisan panel puts that plan into action.Senator Toi Hutchinson, a Democrat from Chicago Heights, helped to negotiate with the governor.
"One of the most important investments we can make, in any of this, no matter where we are on a budgetary fight, is that encouraging people to work or go to school is a good thing for the economy," Hutchinson said. "And it costs us way more in the long run if we don't invest in that."
The deal cuts off previously enrolled parents with incomes between 162 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level. It's a far cry from Rauner's prior move that limited eligibility at 50 percent of the poverty level. The new standard means a single mother can make about 2,150 dollars a month. Co-pays also increased.
