Recent Renovations

The need for licensed day care in Winnebago County has been documented by numerous sources.  In 1995, the United Way of Rock River Valley completed a community-wide assessment of human-service needs in Winnebago County.  It concluded that although child-care resources are very good, the supply of affordable child care is vastly inadequate, particularly for those families with infants or who work nonstandard hours.(1) Thanks to your contributions, the newly-expanded Blackhawk Learning Connection can help fill that void.		The local Child Care Resources and Referral Agency has documented that there is a significant unmet daycare need for children from infancy to eight years of age.(2)
Federal welfare reform (implemented on July 1, 1997) significantly increased the demand for daycare.  This program, titled "Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)," replaced the Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC) program.  TANF requires all recipients to engage in work activity within two years of receiving assistance or face a 50-100% reduction in their welfare subsidy.  In Winnebago County, this could have potentially affected almost 3,000 children under the age of six and an additional 2,200 from ages six through twelve.(3) Without additional, dependable daycare, welfare reform will not work.
Because there is insufficient affordable quality child care available in the community, many families will be forced to choose between losing their welfare subsidy and accepting sub-standard child care.  They will be forced to make poor choices, which will place more children at risk.  With their expansion, Blackhawk Learning Connection can help improve choices and lower the risk. Blackhawk Learning Connection remains committed to breaking the cycle of dependency and helping families achieve self-sufficiency.  Through its recent 6,630 square-foot expansion, the center is now able to provide care for over 140 children, including 27 infants and toddlers, while enhancing their opportunities for brighter tomorrows today.		Investing in quality early-childhood education and care pays off.  For every dollar spent on a comprehensive preschool program for at-risk children, our society saves up to six dollars in long-term costs for welfare, special and remedial education, and juvenile justice prisons.(4)
"A Community-Wide Assessment of Winnebago and Northern Ogle Counties, Illinois," March 1996, United Way of Rock River Valley, Rockford, Illnois. Child Care Resources and Referral, YWCA, Rockford, Illinois. Memorandum to Mayor Box from the Report on Social Service Subcommittee of the Work Force Development Task Force, September 24, 1997. "Voices for Illinois Children," Chicago, Illinois.