Illinois
Working families in Illinois need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Illinois. But too many working families in Illinois are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Illinois economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 895k children ages 5 and under in Illinois
67% of these children have all available parents in the workforce
The typical annual cost of child care in Illinois is around $12,000
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 10% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care
Illinois’ economy loses $4.9B annually due to child care challenges
Illinois: In The Headlines
Parents, childcare experts struggle with rising costs of daycare
WSIL | November 16, 2023
Costs of childcare are up across the country. News 3 spoke with some local experts who are seeing the impacts first hand.
Illinois’ home-based child care providers often make minimum wage – or less
St. Louis Public Radio | January 24, 2024
According to data from the Illinois Department of Human Services, the number of licensed home-based child care providers in the state decreased between 2016 and 2022 from 8,302 to 5,872 — a decline of 29%.
Chicago’s pre-K expansion fueled by federal COVID recovery money
Chalkbeat Chicago | January 29, 2024
Federal relief funds will run out next school year, raising a critical question: How will the district continue funding universal preschool?
Illinois Resources & News
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