Study: Child Care expensive and hard to find in Cook County

The joy of having children can quickly evolve into the angst of finding and paying for child care - and that's getting harder to do in Cook County, according to a study out today.

The report, released by the advocacy group Illinois Action for Children and funded in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services, finds the cost of placing a child at a day-care center is rising faster than inflation.

Over the past seven years, the average full-time child care costs have increased by as much as 40 percent, nearly twice as much as consumer prices nationwide.

"It is an incredibly significant expense for families," said Marie Whelan, president of Illinois Action for Children.

The study examined average child-care costs in six regions of Cook County and found the highest in the North and Northwest suburbs, both for child-care centers and licensed home-based care providers.

In the North and Northwest suburbs, the average weekly cost of sending an infant to a child-care center is $269, more than $50 higher than the county average.

Dennis Hoelzel's two children are enrolled at Advance Preschool in Hoffman Estates. He said the costs have put a real strain on his family.

"I am not really able to save any money," he said. "I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck."

Elgin's Marlene Parks said sending her two 3-year-old grandchildren to preschool takes a huge chunk out of her paycheck.

"It is hard to find a good balance between how much you can afford and what is good for your kids," Parks said.

Tammy Lawry of Hoffman Estates qualifies for state aid to help offset child-care costs. It's only because of that aid that she can afford to send her 5-year-old daughter to preschool each day.

"It is hard to find something you can afford," Lawry said.

Other parents have found that, by getting even a small pay raise, they can lose their eligibility for assistance - even when their raise won't cover the higher child-care costs.

State aid is offered through the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program. Eligibility is set at 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, meaning a family of four must earn less than $42,400 a year to qualify.

Besides the affordability issues, the study also shows there's a shortage of child-care providers in Cook County.

Finding care for infants, according to the study, is the most difficult.

In the North and Northwest suburbs, there are 11 infants for every child-care center slot available. The numbers for home care providers are even greater, with one slot available for every 63 infants.

After searching through the yellow pages and the Internet, Parks finally found Advance Preschool. But she said there was a three-week wait before her grandchildren could start.

"It's scary to try and find good day care," she said.

Peter Gray, Illinois Action for Children spokesman, said he, too, struggled to find good child care for his 2-year-old.

He said some places he and his wife liked had yearlong waiting lists.

"It is difficult," he said, "because those options were eliminated immediately."

Whelan suspects many people would be surprised to know how difficult it is to find and pay for child care.

"I don't think that people really focus on the issues of affordability and access of child care for young children," she said.

Whelan is hoping the study helps prompt state lawmakers to come up with a plan to provide more affordable options.

"We want to help policymakers and elected officials understand the issue," she said. "I see this as a vehicle to educate the public and create new advocates."

For more information, visit actforchildren.org.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/childcaresupply.pdf">See the full report </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>