Progress on the Road to Improving Access to Quality Infant and Toddler Child Care in Illinois
In a new blog, Policy Analyst Gabriela Manzanares Jule explores improvements made by the state to ensure greater access to infant & toddler care, although more work remains.
Infant and toddler child care is one of the most critical resources for families with young children. It is imperative that our state’s youngest learners have access to high–quality child care to ensure the healthy development of children.
However, for many families in Illinois, infant-toddler care is unavailable, and even when it is available, it’s often unaffordable. There are currently enough spots in Illinois’ early care and education system for only one in five infants and toddlers in our state. Of those spots, costs can reach a staggering $16,373 per year—over a third more expensive than preschool and even 6.6% higher than in-state tuition at Illinois’ public universities. Learn More