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Illinois Parent Survey
Parent Quotes
We asked parents open-ended questions about what it is like raising a young child in Illinois. Here is what they had to say!
What makes you most proud of your child?
- “She’s interested in the world around her. She questions everything. Her imagination is the best thing about her.”
- “He is very smart. He knows his colors, talks a lot, and is trying to count.”
- “He’s very helpful and eager. He loves to learn and read.”
- “She is so smart and funny. She can brighten the worse day with a giggle and smile.”
- “Watching him grow and be self-sufficient. Seeing him happy when he’s learned something new and shows me!”
- “His willingness to learn.”
- “It makes me proud that is growing up healthy and everyday trying to learn new things.”
What is one of your hopes for your child this coming year?
- “For her to develop her speech more and have a great first year in kindergarten.”
- “What I most hope for is to keep my baby healthy and safe.”
- “That we can find an activity so he can relieve all his energy in a healthy and productive matter.”
- “To start articulating his needs through language.”
- “Flourish as a child and exceed milestones.”
- “We hope she could be able to sleep through the night and in her own crib.”
- “He feels secure and loved during his development.”
What are the biggest challenges and concerns for you and your family right now?
- “To find a better job, I need to go to school. I would have to work and go to school, but I would be missing out on time with my daughters. If I stay where I am, making the little that I do, we’ll still hardly survive the month. I don’t know where to start.”
- “Feels like we are not spending quality time with our family. End of day, I feel I worked and gave good results for my company, but what about my family?”
- “Being able to be financially stable and free. The cost of living had made everything worse and harder for single parents.”
- “Financially making it day by day the cost of living is extreme, and my money isn’t enough to cover all my bills.”
- “Making enough money to pay for everything and having enough time in the day to enjoy my children.”
What is helping you and your family the most right now?
- “A big help for us right now is being able to get formula for my baby through WIC. Sometimes we use the food pantries. That helps us a lot.”
- “We have a huge family. We are all very close and help each other. We would be lost without them.”
- “The only thing that is been helping my family is my son disability check and SNAP benefits.”
- “Child care assistance program. SNAP. LIHEAP. Support from my parents.”
- “The state has helped with food and medical insurance.”
- “My children’s faces, so I can get up and work.”
- “My mother is a big help whenever I need to get things done.”
What would you like your elected officials and policymakers to know?
- “We need cheaper housing, affordable childcare, and more Snap Benefits. We need more help to get on our feet. We need healthier food and water.”
- “Middle class is suffering. It’s discouraging to know that we cannot turn to state or government officials to help. The cost of living has increased but everything else has stayed the same.”
- “Single moms … are just trying to somehow find a way to raise our kids in a world whose expenses are growing exponentially.”
- “We all need help financially. Rent keeps getting raised, food keeps getting raised, everything goes up in price except for the money we make. This needs to be addressed ASAP”
