Emanuel Says City Helping Families Hurt By Rauner's Cuts To Early Education Program
(CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he's taking steps to protect children who could be shoved out of an early education program, because of Rauner administration cuts, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Mayor Emanuel says the city will provide about $9 million to make sure thousands of children from working families aren't cut off from the state's Child Care Assistance Program. The mayor says the Bruce Rauner Administration has tightened the requirements for families that qualify for the help.
"I think the policies by the state, when you look through, you find 90 percent of the children you're going to kick off… that's not tightening the standards, that's basically walking away from the children of the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois," Emanuel said.
The mayor says the added funding will protect about 5,000 of the 9,000 pre-kindergarten seats affected by the state cuts.
The cost-cutting came in June as part of the governor's effort to reduce a $400 million deficit.