A new study on childcare costs from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that Illinois parents pay some of the highest costs in the nation. According to the study, for one toddler to attend an Illinois childcare center, parents must pay $1,039 per month and $745 per month for a home care center.

Illinois’ average total cost of childcare comes out to about 11% of the state’s median income of married couples and 37% of a single mother’s income. In Illinois, childcare is the largest expense for parents of children ages 4-8.

The report also notes the ongoing challenges working parents face when it comes to childcare. Nationally, the number of working parents who said childcare problems forced them to miss work in the previous week had never been higher, hitting a record in 2022 at 104,000 families.

Additionally, 13 percent of children birth to age 5 had a family member who faced work challenges related to childcare and more than half of working parents with infants and toddlers reported having been late to work or leaving work early at least once in the previous three months due to childcare problems.