child care in cook county - Illinois Action for Children

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I. Family Dilemma: Child Care AffordabilityFigure I-2. What Families Need to Spend on Infant Center CareChange from June 2005 to June 2009, Family Size of 428%26%24%22%20%18%16%14%12%10%8%6%4%2%0June 2005Percent of Family Income$10,000$15,000$20,000$25,000$30,000$34,584$40,000$45,000Family Income$50,000$55,000$60,000$65,000$70,000June 2009Median Family Income 2008:$61,306 (latest available)Median Family Income 2005:$54,719each income level that is measuredon the horizontal axis. The chart isrealistic in the sense that it includesthe effect of receiving CCAP support,which is available to a familyof low income if all present parentsare employed. 8Figure I-1 shows Cook Countyparents can pay less than five (5)percent of family income (for informalneighbor child care) and asmuch as 25 percent (for infantcenter care) for one child, dependingon their level of income, the ageof the child and type of care theyuse. Note that Figure I-1 buildsupon average rates of care such asthose in Tables I-1 and I-2. Someparents might have to pay a higherrate than the average, while otherswill pay below the average. Placingmore children in care, moreover, willcost parents more.Beginning with a family with almostno income on the left and movingup to a family income of about$40,000, we see that a family offour would spend between 3 percentand 16 percent of its incomefor full-time care for one child,depending on the age of the childand type of care. It is CCAP alonethat makes it possible for child careto cost this little for working familieswith these low incomes. If theworking family’s income rises a littleabove $42,000, the family ceasesto be eligible for CCAP and mostchild care costs shoot up to a prohibitivelyhigh percentage of thefamily’s income (from 15 percentto almost 26 percent). This isknown as the “cliff effect.”Only unregulated family, friend, andneighbor care changes little as apercentage of income and remainsaffordable for families earning justover $42,000. Consider the exampleof 10-percent-of-income we usedearlier in this section to discussaffordability. Once a family’s incomerises above $42,000 and the family11becomes ineligible for Child CareAssistance, it takes an income of$68,300 before licensed home carefor a two-year-old returns to 10 percentof the family’s income. It takesan income of $114,680 before thecost of infant care in a center returnsto ten percent of the family’s income.Again, for a family earning less than$68,300, only informal family, friendor neighbor child care is affordableat 10 percent of family income.These higher incomes, needlessto say, are substantially above thetypical family income in Illinois.Trend in AffordabilityOver the years, the State of Illinoishas made a series of improvementsto CCAP, extending eligibility to abroader range of families and makingchild care more affordable formany other families.Figure I-2 illustrates this. The dottedline shows the affordability of child
The 2010 Report of Child Care in Cook Countycare for an infant in a center in Illinoisin June 2005. It takes into accountthe cost of child care and the valueof CCAP support at that time.First, look at the peaks of thelines—the points where child caretakes up the largest percentage ofa family’s income. To the left of thepeak are families who are eligiblefor CCAP, and pay less of theirincome for childcare. To the rightare families who are not eligible andwho may pay a higher percentage.The peak moved to the right from2005 to 2009, to families with higherincomes. The shift of the peak to theright, to higher incomes, indicatesthat families with somewhat higherincomes have become eligible forCCAP. That represents the expansionof CCAP eligibility.Next, notice that the 2009 line isgenerally below the 2005 line onthe left side of the peak, while it isabove the dotted line to the right ofthe peak. This indicates that CCAPhas generally lowered the cost ofcare for families who use assistance(those on the left of the 2009 peak),even though child care costs haverisen for ineligible families (those onthe right of the 2009 peak). To acertain extent, then, changes inCCAP have been successful.F.THE USE OF ILLINOISCHILD CARE ASSISTANCEDespite its limitations, CCAP supportedan average of 47,000 CookCounty families each month duringthe 2009 report year, while assistancefor foster care helped thousandsmore. To take advantage ofthis assistance, an eligible familymust first find a child care providerwilling to work with the IDHS orDCFS payment system. The IllinoisAction for Children Resource andReferral Program asks providers onits database whether or not they arewilling to accept children withCCAP or DCFS vouchers. In 2009:• Eighty-two (82) percent of CookCounty centers listed with IllinoisAction for Children said theywould accept children whosefamilies use CCAP.• Fewer centers (just 61 percent)accept DCFS assistance forfoster children.• Ninety-one (91) percent oflicensed home providers listedwith Illinois Action for Children(2,656 providers) reported thatthey accept children whosefamilies use CCAP. Sixty-one(61) percent reported that theyaccept children who haveDCFS vouchers.Providers themselves report theabove data to Illinois Action forChildren. CCAP has separatereports on the number of providerswho actually receive payment atany given time. In January 2009,for example, 1,147 child carecenters and 2,962 licensed homescared for Cook County childrenapproved for CCAP.Referrals Given to FamiliesEligible for Child Care AssistanceIn 2009, Illinois Action for Childrenreceived calls from 8,239 familiesin search of child care referrals.Of these families, 86 percent hadincomes at or below 200 percentof the federal poverty level, makingthem income-eligible for CCAP.Note: In Section V we return tothe topic of CCAP and report onthe total number of children eligiblein Cook County and the numberof eligible children not being served.In Section VI we report on the typesof child care used by families receivingCCAP support.12
Page 1 and 2: child care in cook county:elements
Page 4: ContentsExecutive Summary . . . . .
Page 8 and 9: I N T R O D U C T I O NFamilies and
Page 10 and 11: IntroductionGABRIELLE AND SHAWN HAR
Page 12 and 13: B.TRENDS IN CHILDCARE RATESLike mos
Page 14 and 15: I. Family Dilemma: Child Care Affor
Page 18 and 19: I. Family Dilemma: Child Care Affor
Page 20 and 21: In 2009, there were 1,456 full-time
Page 22 and 23: II. Family Dilemma: Access to Avail
Page 24 and 25: II. Family Dilemma: Access to Avail
Page 26 and 27: III. Family Dilemma: Finding Child
Page 28 and 29: IV. Family Dilemma:Finding the Righ
Page 30 and 31: V. Public Dilemma: Who Needs ChildC
Page 32 and 33: V. Public Dilemma: Who Needs Child
Page 34 and 35: VI. Child Care Choices ofCook Count
Page 36: ConclusionFinding the right child c
Page 40 and 41: A P P E N D I X 1The Six Cook Count
Page 42 and 43: A P P E N D I X 2The Demand for and
Page 44 and 45: A P P E N D I X 3Sources for Data o
Page 46: 4753 north broadway, chicago, illin

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