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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Illinois

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $234 a week for a baby and $172 for a preschooler in the middle Illinois county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
188
towns
97
towns have their own affordable daycare page
12
of all Illinois daycares
2%

Map of Illinois: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed

Accepts assistance
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record says it accepts child care subsidies, or it says it accepts child care assistance or vouchers.The Illinois license list we load does not record subsidies, so here this list has daycares that say they accept child care assistance.Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Cost and help paying

What daycare costs in Illinois, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Illinois county (2022)
$234
The median of 58 county medians, from $131 in the lowest county to $374 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Illinois county (2022)
$172
The median of 63 county medians, from $92 in the lowest county to $316 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Illinois
390
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
How to apply: Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)Head Start in IllinoisDaycare cost in Illinois, by age and county

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Illinois

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Illinois

Chicago38 accept assistanceNaperville10 accept assistanceAurora6 accept assistanceChampaign5 accept assistanceJoliet4 accept assistancePalatine4 accept assistanceSchaumburg4 accept assistanceBloomington3 accept assistanceOrland Park3 accept assistanceRockford3 accept assistanceSpringfield3 accept assistanceWaukegan3 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Illinois

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares8,493
Take infants7,433
Child care centers2,842
Accept subsidy188
In-home daycares5,651
Christian & church daycares203
Montessori schools182
Preschools & pre-K8,381
Early morning daycare1,142
Part-time daycare356
Drop-in daycare35
After-school care8,304
Bilingual daycare108
Head Start390

The Illinois state record

Illinois Department of Early Childhood licenses daycares in Illinois.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Search the Illinois state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Illinois

  1. 1

    Apply for assistance first

    Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.

  2. 2

    Ask about the copayment

    Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.

  3. 3

    Ask about open subsidy spots

    Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Illinois

Cost, inspections and ratios in Illinois

Daycare cost in IllinoisWeekly prices by age and countyStaff-to-child ratios in IllinoisHow many children each adult may care forDaycare tour checklistQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 97 Illinois towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A6 towns
B8 towns
C6 towns
D4 towns
E7 towns
F1 town
G4 towns
H4 towns
J1 town
L5 towns
M10 towns
N2 towns
O5 towns
P4 towns
Q1 town
R7 towns
S12 towns
T2 towns
U1 town
V1 town
W6 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Indiana2,591 accept assistanceKentucky1,644 accept assistanceWisconsin92 accept assistanceMissouri69 accept assistanceIowa33 accept assistance

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Illinois

How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in Illinois?

188 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 97 Illinois towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Which Illinois town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?

Chicago, with 38 listed. Next are Naperville (10) and Aurora (6).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Illinois?

Apply through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), run by the Illinois Department of Early Childhood. It is for eligible families with children up to age 13 who need child care while they work or attend school. Eligibility depends on the age of children, family income, and schedule. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.

Is there free daycare?

Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?

Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.

How does child care assistance work?

Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the Illinois child care assistance office.

Can I get free daycare?

Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Who licenses daycares in Illinois?

Illinois Department of Early Childhood licenses daycares in Illinois. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.