The
day
care
dilemma
By TIM KANE
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tkane@nwherald.com
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| Alexander Treadway gets creative Wednesday while painting at House of Children in Woodstock. (Lauren M. Anderson – landerson@nwherald.com ) |
Cost was one of the factors for Cary resident Winnie Groos’ decision to become a stay-at-home mom.
Groos, a Cary mother of three – a 5-year-old son, a 4-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old daughter – said she still was torn whether she made the right choice by quitting her job.
“It was a difficult decision,” Groos said. “To this day, I sometimes think I should have [gone] back to work. I worry my job skills are getting rusty. And keeping my kids home, I feel as if I’m being watched and compared. There are so many experts out there telling you about the benefits of day care and faster development.
“On the other hand, one of my girlfriends still works. She lets her kids stay up late because she told me she never gets to see them. And there is the cost to consider.”
Child care costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation in the U.S., and in a flagging economy, some parents of newborns and those expecting children want to know what their options are and whether they can afford it.
The average annual full-time cost for child care in McHenry County is $11,990 for an infant in a center; $8,580 for an infant in a home; $8,900 for a 4-year-old in a center; and $8,047 for
a 4-year-old in a home, according to figures compiled by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Jan Fox, director of nonprofit 4-C (Community Coordinated Child Care), helps McHenry County families who qualify for state subsidies connect with care providers that accept financial assistance payments from the state.
A working family of two with a maximum gross annual income of $17,663 or a family of three with a maximum gross annual income of $21,819 are eligible for help with day care costs. Payments from the state are mailed directly to the child care provider.
Fox said that last month, 1,268 children in McHenry County received subsidized care. The state money goes to the care provider along with a co-payment from the parents.
In November, the Department of Human Services paid $488,597 for child care in McHenry County, and parents paid $86,632 in co-payments, Fox said.
The state also pays an average of $12.75 a day for unlicensed child care, and that could include paying grandparents to watch their grandchildren, if their grandchildren come from low-income households.
Fox said her organization did more than secure state money for low-income parents. She said 4-C consultants helped find child care for all through its referral service.
“First-time callers go through a 20-minute interview,” Fox said. “We find out about your situation and try and help out. Child care is in line with college tuition.”
According to a report released last summer by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies based in Arlington, Va., the cost of child care last year rose faster than inflation – up to 6.5 percent for full-time care of an infant.
A child care provider in Woodstock said she was trying to hold the line on costs. Rates will increase in February, but the increases will reflect only staff raises, said Debbie Louise, owner of House of Children in Woodstock.
Louise said she had been in business eight years and that she accepted state subsidies and helped parents keep up with paperwork administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
“We try to maintain a cost-effective program,” Louise said.
She said her rates were $265 a week for infant care. Full-day kindergarten was $150 a week and included breakfast, lunch and snacks.
Eddie Quiñones, formerly a video photographer at the Northwest Herald, quit his job recently to stay home to watch his 2-month-old daughter.
He said he wrestled with the decision, but he just couldn’t afford child care.
“My wife makes a lot more money than I do,” said Quiñones, who said he’d find a part-time job working nights and weekends. “My wife told me she would be less stressed if I were the one watching our daughter.”
