“Struggling to Provide: The Challenges of Opening a Child Care Center in Rural Illinois”
In rural Illinois, the child care crisis is reaching a breaking point, with about 70% of rural Illinoisans living in child care deserts. This lack of child care facilities is forcing parents to make tough choices, such as driving long distances to find care or leaving the workforce altogether. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Illinois has lost nearly 4,300 licensed child care providers over the past decade, resulting in a 33% decline in available child care slots.
Heather and Stephen Casner, a couple from rural Anna, Illinois, found themselves in the midst of this crisis when they decided to open a child care center in their town. They purchased a rundown motel, the Plaza Motel, with the intention of transforming it into a child care center. The challenges they faced were immense, from securing a loan of $600,000 to cover renovation costs to navigating the complex licensing process.
The Casners’ story is just one example of the struggles faced by child care providers in rural Illinois. Prospective providers often face significant obstacles, including high startup costs, regulatory hurdles, and lengthy delays in the licensing process. The state’s child care system is also severely understaffed, with a 20% vacancy rate in the offices that oversee child care centers.
Despite these challenges, the Casners persevered and opened their child care center, Our World of Learning Child Development Center, in July 2023. However, their journey was far from over. The center struggled to fill its classrooms, relying heavily on government subsidies to stay afloat. Heather, who had planned to pay herself a salary of $40,000, has yet to take a full paycheck since opening the center.
The story of the Casners and OWL highlights the urgent need for solutions to the child care crisis in rural Illinois. While efforts have been made to increase funding and streamline the licensing process, more needs to be done to support child care providers and ensure that families have access to quality care. As Heather and Stephen continue to fight to keep their center open, their story serves as a reminder of the critical role that child care plays in supporting families and communities.