Joyce announces library grants to local districts

• education
• library

ESSEX – Eighteen local school districts will be receiving around $22,000 in grants from the Illinois secretary of state’s School Library Grant program, Senator Patrick Joyce announced today.

The purpose of the grants awarded by the Illinois State Library are to help public schools expand the collection of library books and materials for students.

“Reading is an essential part of education. I’m happy knowing so many excellent schools in the South Suburbs, Kankakee and surrounding communities will benefit from these grants,” Joyce said. “The support brought by the School Library Grant program will help our children and grandchildren have more access to books now and in the future.”

Schools receiving school library grants include:

• Kankakee SD #111 – $3430.50
• Flossmoor Elementary School District #161 – $1675.50
• Manhattan Elementary School District #114 – $1099.50
• Bradley Elementary School District #61 – $951.75
• Peotone CUSD #207U – $1,017.00
• Herscher CUSD #2 – $1,215.00
• Coal City CUSD #1 – $1571.25
• Wilmington CUSD #209U – $906.00

Grundy County child-care facilities will receive a monetary boost in the new year

ESSEX – Beginning in 2020, child-care providers who participate in the Child Care Assistance Program will see reimbursement rates go up 20% in rural counties, Gov. JB Pritzker announced this week. Child-care providers in Grundy County will be included in the program.

“Early childhood development is an essential part of every family’s life,” State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) said. “It’s important that everyone has access to affordable day cares across the state."

Access to day cares is a difficult issue, especially for low-income and single parents. Residents of rural communities often struggle find child-care providers for their children.

Read more: Grundy County child-care facilities will receive a monetary boost in the new year

Senator Joyce joins the Property Tax Relief Task Force

SPRINGFIELD – To help address one of the top problems facing the South Suburbs and communities throughout Illinois, Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is joining the Property Tax Relief Task Force, which will propose concrete ideas to help reduce residents’ property tax bills.

Joyce has major concerns regarding the high property tax rates Illinoisans pay compared to the rest of the nation.

“I represent communities where the property tax rate is higher than 30%,” Joyce said. “That’s not sustainable or fair to the people who live there.”

Read more: Senator Joyce joins the Property Tax Relief Task Force

Joyce co-hosts Will County winter clothing drive

SPRINGFIELD – Winter months in northern Illinois can bring brutal weather. To help ensure residents in Will County have access to warm clothes, State Senator Patrick Joyce will be co-hosting a winter clothing drive with State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

From Nov. 25 to Dec. 13, local and state elected officials will be working together to ensure there is an adequate amount of supplies at organizations throughout the region that benefit Will County residents.

“It gets extremely cold during the winter months in Will County, therefore, I want to help folks who may not have the proper apparel to stay warm during the most frigid time of the year,” Joyce said.

The following items are welcome: gently used or new winter gear including coats, socks, sweatshirts, scarves, gloves and more.

The coldest time of the year can be very difficult for low-income families, seniors, veterans and the homeless.

Locations to drop off donations include:
•             State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant’s Office (15300 Rt. 59, Unit 202, Plainfield)
•             State Senator John Curran’s Office (7501 Lemont Rd., Suite 315G, Woodridge)
•             State Senator Napoleon Harris’ Office (1350 E. Sibley Blvd., Suite 403, Dolton)
•             State Senator Michael E. Hastings’ Office (20855 S. LaGrange Rd., Suite 102, Frankfort)
•             State Senator Patrick Joyce’s Office (270 Main St., Park Forest)
•             State Senator Pat McGuire’s Office (16151 Weber Rd., Suite 103, Crest Hill)
•             State Senator Sue Rezin’s Office (1421 N. Division St., Morris)
•             Plainfield Village Hall (24401 W. Lockport St., Plainfield)
•             Channahon Village Hall (24555 S. Navajo Dr., Channahon)
•             Romeoville Village Hall (1050 Romeo Rd., Romeoville)
•             Crest Hill City Hall (1610 Plainfield Rd., Crest Hill)
•             Mokena Village Hall (11004 Carpenter St., Mokena)
•             Wilmington City Hall (1165 S. Water St., Wilmington)
•             Rockdale Village Hall (79 Moen Ave., Rockdale)
•             Lockport City Hall (222 E. 9th St., Lockport)
•             Manhattan Village Hall (260 Market Pl., Manhattan)
•            Joliet City Hall (150 W. Jefferson St., Joliet)

The donations will be greatly appreciated. The clothing drive will benefit the Will County Veterans’ Assistance Commission and other organizations in the region.