“Struggling to Survive: The Challenges of Child Care in Rural Illinois”

In rural Illinois, the child care crisis is reaching a critical point, with nearly 70% of rural Americans living in child care deserts, according to a report by ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with Capitol News Illinois. Over the past decade, Illinois has seen a 33% decline in licensed child care providers, resulting in the loss of nearly 4,300 facilities and about 38,000 licensed slots for children.

The decline in child care providers has been driven by years of budget cuts, which have disproportionately affected rural areas. Governor JB Pritzker acknowledged the alarming rate at which rural providers were closing during his first year in office and vowed to make Illinois the best state in the nation for families raising young children.

Despite efforts to increase payments to providers in recent years, the damage caused by budget cuts has not been reversed. The COVID-19 pandemic further destabilized the child care system, leading to the closure of about 1,300 providers since Pritzker took office.

Opening new child care facilities in Illinois is challenging for several reasons. Politics have delayed federal relief efforts, with proposed expansions of loans and grants through the Department of Agriculture tied up in Congress as part of the new farm bill. State efforts to help have also fallen short, with only a small percentage of applicants receiving funding for early childhood facilities through the Rebuild Illinois plan.

Licensing delays and staffing shortages at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services have further complicated the process of opening and operating child care centers. Outdated and contradictory regulations add to the challenges faced by providers, making it difficult to comply with state requirements.

Low reimbursement rates for providers, particularly in rural areas, exacerbate the financial strain on child care facilities. Illinois falls short of federal benchmarks for reimbursing providers, leaving many in a difficult financial position.

The child care crisis in rural Illinois highlights the urgent need for state and federal support to address the challenges faced by providers and ensure access to quality child care for families in rural communities.