Illinois Day Care Providers Caught In Middle Of Budget Stalemate

(CBS) -- The bickering between the governor and lawmakers is driving daycare providers crazy.

They won't get paid until the state budget is passed. As CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports, some fear the wait could kill them.

The sound of children's laughter at the West Austin Child Care Development Center masks the frustrations of teachers like Tiffany Rice.

"It's really stressful. You really I don't know what's going to happen from one day to the next day," she says.

The unknown is whether she will have a job, because this center, like so many others, depends on state funding. But since the governor and legislators haven't agreed on a budget, the centers weren't paid in June and won't be paid until lawmakers reach an agreement.

Nakisha Hobbs owns three day care centers. The $200,000 she gets from the state represents 50 percent of her monthly budget.

"We'll have a challenge making payroll, we'll have a challenge making our rent and mortgage payments," Hobbs says.

Some 250,000 families in Illinois depend on daycare. Many of them are low-wage workers.

It could take weeks or months to pass the budget. Both sides continue to blame the other for the stalemate.