Why Child Care Is So Expensive in Illinois — and How I Want to Help Families
For many Illinois families, child care is no longer just a line item in the household budget — it’s a financial breaking point. As someone who owned and operated a child care center for 11 years, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges families face trying to afford quality care, as well as the struggles providers encounter just to stay open. This is not just a policy issue for me — it’s personal.
The Reality: Child Care Costs Rival College Tuition
In Illinois, the cost of full-time, center-based child care for an infant can reach well into five figures per year, especially in the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs. Even outside major metro areas, many families spend a significant share of their income on care — far more than experts recommend as affordable.
Middle-income families often fall into a gap: earning too much to qualify for assistance, but not enough to comfortably afford market-rate care. The result? Parents reduce work hours, delay career advancement, or leave the workforce altogether — and children miss out on early learning opportunities.
Why Is Child Care So Expensive?
Having run a child care center myself, I know how complex and expensive it is to provide safe, high-quality care.
1. Labor-Intensive Care With Low Wages
State licensing rules require low child-to-staff ratios, meaning centers must hire more staff than many businesses. Yet child care workers are among the lowest-paid professionals in Illinois. Providers are caught between needing to pay staff fairly and knowing families cannot afford higher tuition.
2. Limited Public Investment
Unlike K-12 schools, child care is largely funded by parent fees. Illinois’ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps some families, but many middle-income households fall through the cracks, paying full price even when care consumes a large share of their income.
3. Child Care Deserts and Limited Supply
Many Illinois communities lack enough licensed child care slots. When supply is limited and demand is high, prices rise — or families are left without options altogether.
4. Rising Operating Costs
Like any small business, child care centers face high costs for rent, utilities, insurance, and supplies. These costs have risen sharply in recent years, but passing them onto families often isn’t feasible.
What Is Illinois Doing to Help?
Recognizing the strain on families and providers, Illinois lawmakers have proposed — and in some cases funded — several initiatives aimed at improving affordability and access.
State-Level Proposals and Investments
Expanded funding for CCAP has been proposed in recent state budgets to raise provider reimbursement rates and serve more families.
Workforce grants aim to support higher wages for child care workers, helping stabilize staffing and reduce closures.
Legislative proposals have focused on:
Expanding subsidy eligibility to higher income levels
Offering tax credits to employers who support child care
Reducing regulatory barriers in child care deserts
Allowing more flexible hours for providers serving parents with non-traditional work schedules
Together, these efforts seek to strengthen the child care system without shifting even more cost onto families.
What About Federal Help?
You may have heard about the Child Care for Working Families Act, a federal proposal that would cap child care costs at a percentage of family income and significantly expand public funding for care.
It’s important to be clear: this act has not been passed into law. It remains a proposed bill that has been reintroduced in Congress multiple times. If enacted, it could dramatically reduce costs for Illinois families and increase support for providers — but until Congress acts, its benefits remain theoretical.
Other federal proposals, such as expanding the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, could also provide relief, but these too depend on future legislative action.
Why This Issue Matters
Affordable child care isn’t just a family issue — it’s an economic one. When parents can’t access reliable care, businesses lose workers, children miss out on early learning opportunities, and communities suffer long-term consequences.
Illinois has taken meaningful steps, but the gap between what families can afford and what quality care actually costs remains wide. Closing that gap will require sustained public investment, thoughtful policy, and continued attention from lawmakers.
My Vision: Supporting Families and Providers
If elected, I will work to make child care more affordable for Illinois families by introducing tax incentives for businesses that offer child care benefits to their employees. This approach would:
Encourage employers to invest in child care support, helping parents stay in the workforce.
Support working families without adding undue strain on state budgets.
Strengthen the child care sector by increasing demand and stability for quality providers.
Having run a child care center for over a decade, I understand the dedication, skill, and resources it takes to provide safe, nurturing care. I’ve seen the impact on families when quality child care is accessible — and I’ve seen the consequences when it isn’t. With thoughtful policy, strategic investment, and support from employers, we can close the gap between what families can afford and what quality care actually costs.
Affordable child care isn’t just a family issue — it’s an economic and community issue. I am committed to making Illinois a place where parents don’t have to choose between working, advancing their careers, or giving their children the early education they deserve.