- Programs
- For Providers & Educators
- For Communities
- For Parents & Families
- Advocacy & Policy
- Research
- Give
- About IAFC
Research Reports
Explore 20+ child care and early learning research reports published by our team.
Browse our research reports by topic:
new Report
Child Care During Nontraditional Hours
Many families need child care during nontraditional hours due to their work schedules, yet little is known about the providers who offer this type of care. Our report series summarizes learnings from our Spring 2024 survey of child care providers who do and do not offer this care in Illinois. Our three-report series highlight the unique experiences, practices, and characteristics of providers who offer this care, and ways programs and policies can better support providers to increase the supply of this care.
new Report
2025 Annual Report on Child Care in Cook County
Our annual report is a rich source of data on child care in Cook County. It includes analyses related to the supply of child care, cost of care, and families’ experiences in finding care. This year’s report includes relevant findings from IAFC’s latest studies on child care during nontraditional hours and for children with disabilities, as well as from our Illinois Parent Survey.
new Report
Child Care for Children with Disabilities
How well is our child care system supporting children with disabilities? Our report series tries to answer this question by presenting the experiences of Chicago-area families and child care providers surveyed in Summer 2023. The findings point to ways we can strengthen our child care system so all children can access quality care regardless of their abilities.
Featured Report
Annual Report on Child Care in Cook County
This brief version of our annual report offers a snapshot of the child care slots and price of care across Cook County regions. For a more comprehensive analysis of child care trends in Cook County see our previous 2023 report.
Featured Report
Expanding Illinois Child Care Assistance to Job and School Search: Experiences of Cook County Parents (2023)
Unemployed parents/guardians of young children in Illinois face a dilemma: they can’t look for a job without child care, but can’t afford child care without a job. Fortunately, in 2021, a temporary policy was put in place to assist parents/guardians with the cost of care while they look for work or enroll in school. The report assesses the impact of this policy on parents/guardians who received assistance.
Featured Report
Elevating Parent Voices: An Evaluation of the Family Advisory Committee of the Illinois Early Learning Council in Year Two (2023)
The Family Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Early Learning Council is Illinois’ first permanent advisory body of parents focusing on early childhood programming and policy. In 2022, we interviewed parent-members of the FAC and stakeholders who helped found the group in order to evaluate the successes and challenges of the group’s first two years and recommend actions for improving its role.
