Research Reports
New Research on Subsidized Family, Friend and Neighbor Providers: Implications for Investing in Quality
Thousands of children in Cook County receive Child Care Assistance and receive child care from a family member, friend or neighbor. New rules require many of these providers to complete health and safety training and meet monitoring requirements. This report explores characteristics of subsidized family, friend and neighbor care in Cook County and the implications for designing a successful training and monitoring program. Download Report
Cost of Quality Early Learning Think Tank
Illinois Action for Children (IAFC) and The Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) partnered to design and conduct the Cost of Quality Think Tank. Held May 16-17, 2018, in Chicago, the convening provided an opportunity for state and local leaders, advocates, and national experts engaged in cost studies of early learning programs to take stock of what they are learning about collecting, analyzing, and using cost data to inform and drive policy decisions about financing high-quality early learning programs. Highlights from the meeting, a summary of key findings, unanswered questions, and suggestions for next steps are provided in this document.
Cost of Child Care in Cook County in 2018
Child care is one of a family’s largest expenses. The amount that Cook County families pay for child care varies by region, care setting and the age of their children. On average it costs more than what many families pay for food, transportation or rent. Infant care in a child care center can cost more than sending a young adult to college. While the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps some lower-income families offset these costs, middle income families must bear the full cost burden.
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Cook County Parents, Nonstandard Work and Child Care Research Brief
New research on the Child Care Assistance Program finds that almost half of Cook County parents with Assistance work nontraditional hours (evenings, nights and/or weekends). Few of these parents, moreover, use licensed child care.
The Economic Impact of the Early Care and Education Industry in Illinois Research Brief
How the early care and education industry contributes to the Illinois economy.
- 2015 Economic Impact of the Early Care and Education Industry in Illinois
- 2012 Economic Impact of the Early Care and Education Industry in Illinois
- 2006 Economic Impact Cook County Profile
- 2005 Economic Impact of Child Care Statewide Report
Choices in the Real World: The use of family, friend and neighbor child care by single Chicago mothers working nontraditional schedules (2013)
Illinois Action for Children’s Trainings on Nutritional and Physical Activity Standards in Child Care Settings and How Child Care Providers Perceive and Practice the New Standards (2012)
Getting There: Cook County Parents’ Commute to Child Care and Work (2012)
Child Care and Early Education in Illinois: The Choices Parents Make (2008)
How family size, education level, income, and language relate to the choices families make, based on the Illinois sample of the 2004 National Survey of Children’s Health.
Working Later in Illinois: Work Schedules, Incomes and Access to Child Care (2006)
The relationship between nonstandard work schedules, income and child care for Illinois families based on the most recent federal data (the 2004 Current Population Survey) .
Why Have Illinois Child Care Centers Closed? (2007; published in 2011)
The reasons for many of 610 child care center closings in Illinois between 1999 and 2003.
