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.
Over the last several years, the Illinois Department of Human Services has committed to making changes to promote the accessibility of infant and toddler care. We commend the Department for taking these important steps towards improving infant-toddler care for children and families:
- As of July 1st of this year, the Department will cover the cost of the child care registration fee for families enrolled in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). This will relieve families of the initial cost of enrollment and make child care subsidies more accessible.
- The new Smart Start Workforce Grants provide increased funding for infant and toddler classrooms to account for the additional staffing requirements.
- The Department has made a recent policy change to decouple Child Care Assistance Program rates from private pay rates. This policy change was a recommendation included in the 2022 Infant and Toddler Child Care Road Map. When CCAP rates are increased in order enhance the quality of child care, some providers are forced to raise the rates for private pay families to match the new CCAP rate. Unfortunately, these practices can push out families who can’t afford the increase to private pay rates, but who are not eligible for CCAP. This policy change will provide financial relief for families who may not qualify for CCAP but need to access quality child care programs.
