How much does daycare cost in Illinois?

The two figures are built differently. The 2022 figure is the U.S. Department of Labor's price for the middle Illinois county, from the state's survey of provider prices; the survey priced 89 of the 102 counties, and each counts the same, so the many smaller downstate counties weigh as much as Cook County. The 2026 figure is the middle rate among daycares that put prices online: 90 Illinois daycares post a full-time rate, and 97.8% of them are centers.

Prices have gone up since 2022 as well. Posted infant rates run about $106 a week above the 2022 county price, toddler rates about $85 and preschool rates about $58. Use the 2022 figures to compare counties, and the posted rates as a guide to what a center with a website asks today.

The 2022 school-age figures look low next to the other ages ($42 a week at a center, $38 at a home daycare), and too few Illinois daycares post a school-age rate to show one. Ask any program exactly which hours a school-age rate covers.

Center infant care in 2022 ran from $131 a week in Hamilton County to $374 in DuPage County. The suburban counties around Chicago sit near the high end: $328 in Kane County, $305 in Lake County and $304 in Will County, while Cook County, the most populous, was $278.

Home daycares cost much less. The middle Illinois county charged $158 a week for home infant care in 2022, against $234 at a center, and in Cook County home infant care was $208 against $278.

The Illinois Department of Early Childhood runs the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which helps working families with lower incomes pay for care from an eligible provider. On DaycarePal, 188 Illinois daycares are listed as accepting child care assistance: see them. Many more may take it, so ask any daycare you like.

Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify, mostly by income, and serve children from birth to age 5. Ask your school district whether it offers free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Home daycares make up most of the Illinois listings on DaycarePal and cost less than centers in the 2022 survey. Part-time schedules, sibling discounts and asking whether you pay for vacation weeks can also bring the bill down.