SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new report from ReadyNation Illinois shows that a lack of affordable and accessible child care has drained over $6 billion from the state’s economy annually. Business leaders told reporters in Springfield Tuesday that investments in childcare and early intervention services can help working parents.

The nonprofit organization representing 300 Illinois businesses conducted a poll of roughly 400 working parents with young children in October. Around 92% of those parents said child care availability is a challenge. Roughly half of the families said they have struggled to find affordable child care, while 42% note they cannot find high-quality care.

"Without adequate child care for working parents, there is no stable productive workforce and therefore no fully functioning economy," said Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce CEO Mike Murphy.

The former Springfield state representative and other business leaders said the cost of child care has reached $20,000 per year, which is more than in-state tuition at most public universities. This also comes as Illinois has experienced a 33% drop in the number of licensed child care providers over the past decade.

"Many parents reported being penalized due to child care problems," said Kayla Edwards, managing partner for Express Employment Professionals of Springfield, Bloomington and Jacksonville. "I see it every day. More than a quarter of the parents surveyed had seen their pay cut or their hours reduced, while 16% said they’d been let go or fired."

Local parent Tiffani Saunders said her daughter was on the wait list for multiple child care centers across Springfield and Chatham. Saunders said her daughter sat on one wait list for over a year, but her time at the facility ended up lasting less than a year.

"My daughter was diagnosed with Stage 3 autism at age two," Saunders explained. "Most daycare centers don’t have the training or capacity to support kids like her."

Advocates are calling on lawmakers to support the state’s future Department of Early Childhood as well as Gov. JB Pritzker’s request for a $55 million increase in child care assistance for low-income and working families. The group also hopes to see lawmakers approve a $15 million boost in funding for early intervention services for kids with developmental delays or disabilities.

ReadyNation Illinois said lawmakers should improve pay and credentials for early childhood teachers by increasing funding for the Smart Start workforce grant and scholarships as well. 

"My daughter is highly compensated, and they could not find child care," Murphy said. "It wasn’t a cost issue. It was an accessibility issue. This keeps people out of the workforce to begin their career. It sets them back, and I just want everybody to reach their full potential." 

The full ReadyNation report is available online. 

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