CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois lawmakers have announced a grant program to help with revenue losses child care providers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Thursday press release, State Senator Scott Bennett announced the Child Care Restoration grant program. It will dedicate at least $270 million from the state’s Coronavirus Urgent Remediation Emergency (CURE) Fund towards financial assistance for child care services.

The release added as part of the CURE Fund, the Business Interruption Grants Programs was drafted specifically to help businesses that lost revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a video interview Monday, he said it’s hard to find something that’s more essential than child care services.

“Every time when you think about hospital workers or first-line responders that obviously have never gotten sent home, they’ve got to have someplace that’s reliable and safe to take their kids,” Bennett said.

Now that more workers in Illinois have started returning to work, he said, they need somewhere to leave their kids throughout the day that they feel safe about.

“Yes, it’s important that every business be on good financial footing,” Bennett said, “but this has a much bigger ripple because every time a child care provider closes down, there are many other businesses that are unable to get employees to come into work as a result.”

The state senator said the program will start up in a two-phase process. In the first, providers will be asked to fill out a survey, which Bennett said will help shape the new grant program. Then the grant program itself will begin in July, and its first installments will be issued later this summer.

“We’re trying to get it in people’s hands as quickly as possible, but it’s taxpayer money and we’re not trying to waste it and send it someplace that really isn’t helping the people it’s trying to help,” he said.

Child care providers can fill out an ‘Intent to Apply’ survey until Friday, June 19th, and will later be able to submit their application for the grant.

“Child care services are an essential service to support families as they return to work and it is critical to our state’s economic recovery,” Bennett said Thursday in the release. “This grant program will focus on helping child care providers stay in business.” 

The state senator invited interested applicants to contact his office for assistance, and so they can be put on a list to be contacted for later updates.