2020 IL Senate race: on Families & Children

Anne Stava-Murray: After #MeToo moment, withdrew support for Speaker Madigan

Richard Durbin: Safe, affordable child care available to more families

Parents need to know that the child care they rely on is of the highest quality. Yet working families at all income levels struggle to find the high quality care their children need at a cost that is affordable.

Full-day care can cost between $4,000 and $10,000 per year. In 2000, child care for a four-year-old child in an urban area of Illinois cost an average of $5,304 per year. One out of four families with young children earns less than $25,000 per year, making such high child care payments nearly impossible for many parents.

The gap between what research has shown us is good for children and what is put into practice is still too large, especially in the context of reasonable pay and benefits for child care professionals.