child care in cook county - Illinois Action for Children

The 2010 Report of Child Care in Cook CountyPUBLIC DILEMMASThe working mother of three children introduced earlier in this report, Candace Thomas, remains ineligible forCCAP. If she earned just $200 less, she would be eligible. Yet, the State of Illinois recently expanded thenumber of families eligible for CCAP and has room to expand further under the federal child care block grant.Should the state do this?Candace pays about $12,700 of her $44,800 annual salary for child care in a licensed home, more than28 percent of her income, while the national average spent on child care is about 7 percent.* Do Candaceand her children deserve child care support? If so, does she deserve as much as the $9,564 in CCAPsupport that would reduce her child care expenditure to 7 percent of her income? Does she deserve theadditional $22,000 that would put her children in high quality educational settings?Should the only realistic option available to the couple introduced earlier, Gabrielle and Shawn Harris, belicense-exempt care?Illinois policy makers, of course, face a dilemma in balancing funding for Child Care Assistance with fundingfor other items, such as improving education and health insurance for children. And within CCAP itself, theState must also balance two goals: increasing the number of families that receive CCAP support and increasingthe amount of assistance that goes to individual families already in the program.**While others may disagree, most child care advocates believe that the State of Illinois can contribute more toboth sides of the balance without threatening the public treasury even in hard times. Not only are expenditureson CCAP an effective economic stabilizer that helps prevent unemployment, but as an investment in a workingmother and her children, it helps her work to her full productive potential and prevents the social isolationof children that makes them more at-risk.Supporting working families and promoting early education strengthens our workforce and better preparesour children for success as adults.* Like many working parents, she may also be eligible for a very modest child care income tax credit.** Either way, an increase would go directly to a child care provider and affect the quality of care that provider can offer.28