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In-home daycare

In-Home Daycares in Illinois

An in-home daycare is a licensed family child care home: the provider looks after a small group of children in their own home. Full-time infant care at a home daycare costs a median of $158 a week in the middle Illinois county (2022).

in-home daycares listed
5,651
towns
648
towns have their own in-home daycares page
292
of all Illinois daycares
67%

Map of Illinois: each dot is a town with in-home daycares, sized by how many are listed

In-home daycare
What puts a daycare on this listThe state license record lists it as a family or group child care home (family child care), where the provider cares for a small group in their own home. Where no state license record is available, its business listing names it a family day care.Street addresses are not shown for home daycares. The provider shares the address with families, so call to arrange a visit.

In-home daycare

What in-home daycare looks like in Illinois

The typical licensed capacity of a Illinois in-home daycare
8 children
The median capacity on 5,594 Illinois home daycare licenses. Ask how many children come on a usual day and their ages.
group or large family homes
727
Illinois licenses two kinds of home daycare: family homes (4,867 listed), where one provider cares for a small group, and group or large homes (727), with an assistant and more children.
Infant care at a home daycare, per week, in the middle Illinois county (2022)
$158
The median of 77 county medians, from $92 in the lowest county to $235 in the highest.

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

Illinois

Largest towns for in-home daycares in Illinois

Chicago1,572 in-home daycaresWaukegan184 in-home daycaresRockford167 in-home daycaresChampaign113 in-home daycaresSpringfield93 in-home daycaresBelleville65 in-home daycaresZion63 in-home daycaresQuincy62 in-home daycaresBolingbrook59 in-home daycaresCicero58 in-home daycaresCalumet City57 in-home daycaresAurora56 in-home daycares

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

Choosing an in-home daycare in Illinois

  1. 1

    Ask who else is in the home

    Ask who lives in the home and who helps with the children. Many states require background checks for adults living in a licensed home.

  2. 2

    Ask about backup care

    With one provider, a sick day or vacation closes the daycare. Ask how many days a year they close and what families do then.

  3. 3

    Ask about the group

    Ask how many children come each day and their ages. A home daycare often mixes babies and school-age children in one group.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open the daycare's page here to see its license type, capacity and the state's inspection record, where we hold them.

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 648 Illinois towns with in-home daycares, A to Z

A34 towns
B45 towns
C72 towns
D26 towns
E24 towns
F24 towns
G32 towns
H28 towns
I4 towns
J4 towns
K7 towns
L30 towns
M68 towns
N22 towns
O22 towns
P38 towns
Q1 town
R33 towns
S56 towns
T16 towns
U4 towns
V8 towns
W48 towns
Y1 town
Z1 town
  • Zion63 in-home daycares

Nearby

Nearby states

Wisconsin2,222 in-home daycaresIowa1,644 in-home daycaresIndiana1,465 in-home daycaresMissouri568 in-home daycaresKentucky204 in-home daycares

Questions

Questions about in-home daycares in Illinois

How many in-home daycares are in Illinois?

5,651 in-home daycares are listed in 648 Illinois towns. Street addresses are not shown for home daycares. The provider shares the address with families, so call to arrange a visit.

Which Illinois town has the most in-home daycares?

Chicago, with 1,572 listed. Next are Waukegan (184) and Rockford (167).

What is the difference between in-home daycare and family child care?

They are the same thing. State licenses call it a family child care home (or a group or large family home when there is an assistant): a provider caring for a small group of children in their own home.

How many children can a home daycare have in Illinois?

It depends on the license type and the children's ages. The typical Illinois home daycare license here is for 8 children; each listing shows its own licensed capacity.

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.