If these national patterns hold true in Illinois, this means that 660,558 children younger than 6 are in child care. Most women in Illinois work to help support their families. An estimated 59 percent of mothers with children younger than 6 and 76 percent of women with children between the ages of 6 and 17 were in the labor force. In 1996, there were about 2,488 licensed child care centers and 9,019 regulated family chid care homes serving children in Illinois. Yet many families in Illinois cannot find the quality affordable child care they need to be able to work and ensure that their children are well care for and safe.
Child care is unaffordable for many working families in Illinois.
This is equal to the cost of college tuition plus room and board at a public university, and is beyond the reach of may families. These families simply cannot afford the cost of quality child care in addition to all of the other demands on their monthly budget. State vary how much they invest in helping families pay for the good care that children need. Despite the critical importance of child brain development in the first three years of life, Illinois spent 19 times as much in state funds on higher education than on child care and early education. Even though child care helps shape children's futures, too many children are in care that is harmful to their development, health, and safety.