Illinois Salary & Staffing Survey Of Licensed Child Care Facilities: FY2023

FY23 Salary Staffing Survey (pdf)

Illinois Salary and Staffing Survey of Licensed Child Care Facilities: Fiscal Year 2023

Prepared by:

Rachel Salrin

Jennifer Martin

Betty Akamani

Joellyn Whitehead

Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

For

Illinois Department of Human Services

Division of Early Childhood

1. Executive Summary
2. Child Care Centers: Highlights and Key Findings
3. Family Child Care Homes: Highlights and Key Findings
4. Introduction
5. Methods
   1. Survey Development
   2. Respondents
   3. Administration of Surveys
   4. Survey Data
6. Profile of Child Care Centers: Key Findings
   1. Respondent Role
   2. Center Program Revenue
   3. Capacity and Enrollment Patterns
   4. Ethnicity of Children in Programs
   5. Staffing Patterns
   6. Professional Development
   7. Peer Support
   8. Staff Turnover
   9. Center Turnover
   10. Staff Demographics
   11. Salary and Wages
   12. Benefits
7. Profile of Family Child Care Home Providers: Key Findings
   1. Completed Surveys
   2. Demographics
   3. Accreditation and ExceleRate Illinois Status
   4. Demographics of Children Served
   5. Professional Development
   6. Capacity and Enrollment
   7. Assistants
   8. Business Characteristics
   9. Fee Policies
   10. Professional Support
   11. Turnover
   12. Motivations and Perceptions about Providing Child Care
8. Conclusion
9. Appendix A: Survey Instruments
10. Appendix B: Child Care Resource and Referral System Map
11. Appendix C: Licensing Standards for Center Staffing
12. Appendix D: Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

High quality child care improves children's experiences and developmental outcomes and also contributes to a prepared, productive, and stable current and future workforce. Practitioners who work in child care settings are responsible for the quality of care and early education provided to children and their families.

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is mandated by legislative rule 20 ILCS 505/5.15 , to conduct a survey of the workforce in licensed child care facilities every two years. The survey summarized in this report meets that mandate by documenting the following: (1) the number of qualified caregivers attracted to vacant positions and any problems encountered by facilities in attracting and retaining capable caregivers; (2) the qualifications of new caregivers hired at licensed child care facilities during the previous two-year period; and (3) the average wages and salaries and fringe benefits paid to caregivers throughout the State computed on a regional basis.

Collection of survey data began with the list of 8,495 licensed child care programs in Illinois (2,754 licensed child care centers and 5,741 licensed day care homes) obtained through the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA). On April 3, 2023, providers with email addresses were sent an invitation to participate in the survey. This was followed by a letter mailed to all providers (including those that already received an email) on April 10, 2023. On June 1, 2023, a reminder postcard was sent out to providers who had not yet completed the survey and thanked those that had already completed it. The survey was available in two formats: online and a paper document. Out of the 8,495 licensed programs, 544 child care centers (response rate = 19.7 percent) and 1,035 family child care home providers (response rate = 18.0 percent) completed the survey to some degree.

In addition, the 2023 report includes administrative data from the Gateways to Opportunity Registry (Registry). Because the entire population of licensed child care center staff and licensed family child care providers in the Registry, these administrative data are the best source for analysis of staff qualifications and salaries.

The findings of this 2023 survey and analysis of administrative data profile the qualifications, salary and benefits, and turnover rates from the sample of licensed child care programs operating in Illinois as of December 31, 2022.

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1. The entire bill is located on the Illinois General Assembly website: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=242&ChapterID=5

Child Care Centers: Highlights and Key Findings

Capacity and Staffing

• The average licensed capacity of centers was reported as 92.6 children.
• The 544 responding directors reported a total of 8,520 employees in their programs, including:
  • 1,226 administrative directors and director/teachers,
  • 6,936 classroom teaching staff,
  • 362 food service staff,
  • 202 administrative support staff,
  • 264 building support staff,
  • 205 other types of staff.

Accreditation

• Out of responding centers, 19.7 percent (n = 107) were accredited by a national accrediting organization:
  • 72 (13.2 percent) were accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC);
  • 26 (4.8 percent) were accredited by the National Accreditation Commission (NAC) under the auspices of the Association Early Learning Leaders ;
  • 4 (0.7 percent) were accredited through AdvancED;
  • 3 (0.6 percent) were accredited by American Montessori Society (AMS);
  • 2 (0.4 percent) were accredited through the Council on Accreditation (COA);
  • No programs were accredited through NECPA (National Early Childhood Program Accreditation).

ExceleRate Illinois QRIS

• All of the responding centers were ExceleRate rated:
  • 392 (72.1 percent) of programs had received the Licensed Circle of Quality.
  • 24 (4.4 percent) of programs had earned a Bronze Circle of Quality.
  • 61 (11.2 percent) of programs had earned a Silver Circle of Quality.
  • 67 (12.3 percent) of programs had earned a Gold Circle of Quality.

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2. Formerly the National Association of Child Care Professionals.

3. To further identify the prevalence of accredited centers in Illinois, data were accessed from the Data Tracking Program (DTP) in July 2023 and showed that: 364 (13.2 percent of all Illinois centers) are NAEYC accredited, 113 (4.1 percent of all Illinois centers) are NAC accredited, 16 (0.6 percent of all Illinois centers) are AMS accredited, 13 (0.5 percent of all Illinois centers) are COA accredited, 9 (0.3 percent of all Illinois centers) are AdvancED accredited, and 3 (0.1 percent of all Illinois centers) is NECPA accredited. Overall, 18 percent of all center programs in Illinois have been accredited by national organizations and meet nationally recognized standards for high quality.

Education Level of Staff

• Out of 19,982 early childhood teachers in the Gateways Registry,
  • 73.9 percent reported having at minimum some level of college education,
  • 61.2 percent had completed a college degree (Associate's or higher),
  • 25.1 percent had completed their degrees in early childhood education or child development, and
  • 3.5 percent had completed a Child Development Associate (CDA) or Child Care Professional (CCP) credential.
• 6.8 percent of early childhood teachers with a bachelor's degree or higher reported they also held a Professional Educator License (PEL) with an early childhood endorsement.

Salary

• The median hourly wage for a full-time administrative director was $21.50 per hour, which is approximately equal to $44,720 per year.
• The median hourly wage for a full-time early childhood teacher was $16.50 per hour, which is approximately equal to $34,320 per year.
• The median hourly wage for a full-time early childhood assistant teacher was $15.40 per hour, which is approximately equal to $32,032 per year.

Benefits

• Most centers offered at least one type of insurance to their full-time staff:
  • 54.9 percent of centers offered health insurance for their staff.
  • 55.4 percent of centers offered retirement/pension coverage for their employees.
  • 44.7 percent of centers offered life insurance.
  • 49.1 percent of centers offered dental insurance.
  • 41.4 percent of centers offered disability insurance.

• Most centers provided time off benefits to full-time staff:
  • 95.4 percent of centers provided paid vacation leave to personnel.
  • 94.0 percent of centers provided paid holiday leave for staff.
  • 84.1 percent of centers provided paid sick leave for employees.

Turnover

• The turnover rate for early childhood teachers over the last two years increased from 39.5 percent in 2021 to 41.0 percent in 2023.
• The turnover rate for early childhood assistant teachers over the last two years increased from 55.9 percent in 2021 to 69.1 percent in 2023.

• Administrative directors had been employed at their current program an average of 9.5 years and early childhood teachers had been employed an average of 5.1 years.
• The top reason for early childhood teachers to leave their jobs willingly was dissatisfaction with wages or benefits, followed by personal/family issues, and burnout.
• The least likely reasons for an early childhood teacher to leave their job willingly were retirement and not enough opportunities for professional development or growth.
• Directors reported that it often took 3 to 4 weeks to fill positions required under Department Children and Family Services (DCFS) licensure; there was very little difference by type of position being filled.

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4. Assumes 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Family Child Care Homes: Highlights and Key Findings

Capacity and Enrollment

* The average licensed capacity reported for family child care homes was 10.3 children, with providers reporting that they care for an average of 8.5 children in a typical week.

Accreditation

* 5.0 percent (n = 52 out of 1,035) of family child care providers were accredited through the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC).

ExceleRate Illinois QRIS

• All responding family child care providers participated in ExceleRate.
  • 89.5 percent (n = 926) were at the Licensed Circle of Quality
  • 6.4 percent (n= 66) were at the Bronze Circle of Quality
  • 3.6 percent (n = 37) were at the Silver Circle of Quality
  • 0.6 percent (n = 6) were at the Gold Circle of Quality

Education Level

• Data from the Gateways to Opportunity Registry show that of all licensed family child care providers in the registry:
  • 45.9 percent had at minimum some form of college education.
  • 34.1 percent had an Associate's degree or higher.
  • 13.5 percent had an Associate's degree or higher in either early childhood education or child development.
  • 0.4 percent reported that they had a public school early childhood professional educator license (PEL).

Salary and Benefits

• Licensed family child care providers self-reported an average annual net income of $13,985.85 per year (these hours are time working with children and exclude self-reported hours worked on prep and facility care):
  • 25 percent of family child care providers netted less than $500 (average hours worked per week = 47.7; median = 50)
  • 50 percent of family child care providers netted less than $12,000 (average hours worked per week = 47.8; median = 50); and
  • 75 percent of family child care providers netted less than $25,000 (average hours worked per week = 48.7; median = 50).
• 75.7 percent of family child care providers required payment when closed for holidays, 56.1 percent required payment when closed for vacation, 41.3 percent when closed for sickness, and 21.5 percent when closed for training.
• 90.3 percent of family child care providers were covered by some form of health insurance.
• 55.9 percent of family child care providers contributed to Social Security and 27.1 percent set aside money for retirement.
• 50.8 percent of family child care providers had received some form of public assistance in the preceding two years.

Years of Experience/Turnover

• Family child care home providers reported an average of 17.5 years of experience taking care of children in their homes.
• 27.7 percent of licensed family child care providers reported that they had been previously employed in a child care center or public school.
• 36.6 percent of family child care providers considered quitting providing care in the preceding two years. Dissatisfaction with benefits and perception of too little respect for what child care providers do were the top reasons considered.
• 35.7 percent of family child care providers report they plan to leave child care within an average of 8.9 years.

Working Hours

• On average, family child care providers were paid to care for children 50.2 hours per week.
• On average, family child providers spent an additional 19.5 hours per week on aspects related to their child care business (preparing food, shopping, cleaning, record keeping and lesson planning).

Motivation for Providing Child Care

* Family child care practitioners endorsed "enjoy teaching children" and "I consider myself a small business owner" as their two primary motivating factors for providing child care.

Introduction

Legislative rule 20 ILCS 505/5.15 mandates a statewide survey of the workforce of licensed child care facilities be conducted every two years by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). This survey evaluates:

• the number of qualified caregivers attracted to vacant positions and any problems encountered by facilities in attracting and retaining capable caregivers;
• the qualifications of new caregivers hired at licensed day care facilities during the previous two-year period; and
• the average wages and salaries and fringe benefits paid to caregivers throughout the State computed on a regional basis.

Other areas assessed by the survey include information pertaining to fiscal management, enrollment patterns, staffing patterns, staff turnover rates, and professional development.

IDHS contracted with the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) to conduct the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023) survey.

Methods

Survey Development

An English and a Spanish version of the Salary and Staffing Survey was constructed for licensed child care centers, and separate versions (English and Spanish) were used for licensed family child care providers. This was the first year a Spanish version was available to respondents. To allow for the comparison of 2023 survey results with those from past survey years, questions from past surveys were retained with some minor changes in formatting and wording.

Respondents could opt to take the survey either online, via the internet, or as a mailed paper document. Formatting and instructions differed slightly between the two forms of administration; survey content remained the same.

To create the online version of each survey, the paper versions were directly transcribed online, using the web-based SurveyMonkey product (surveymonkey.com). Respondents could access the surveys through a link on the INCCRRA website. The Salary and Staffing Survey web page contained links for both the licensed child care center and licensed family child care home surveys. It also included information on how to access both the online and paper versions of the survey, "Frequently Asked Questions" about the survey, and a link to "Previous Survey Highlights." To maintain confidentiality, respondents were assigned a user code (a randomly generated ten-character code). This code was required to enter in order to access the survey. With their unique code information, respondents could enter and exit the survey at their convenience, take the survey at their own pace, and make changes to responses prior to submission.

Respondents could request a paper copy of either the licensed child care center survey or the licensed family child care home survey by emailing or calling INCCRRA. Along with the requested survey, respondents would receive a self-addressed stamped envelope in which to return the survey. Appendix A contains the paper versions of both the licensed child care center and licensed family child care home surveys.

Respondents

There are fifteen Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies in Illinois (see Appendix B) which together serve all 102 counties in Illinois. Each CCR&R is assigned one or more counties to cover (referred to as their Service Delivery Area or SDA). All CCR&R agencies are partners with INCCRRA, which provides coordination and supports for the Illinois CCR&R System. CCR&Rs support licensed and license-exempt child care centers and family child care homes in their assigned areas. Child care facilities in Illinois are licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Local CCR&Rs list these DCFS licensed child care facilities on the Data Tracking Program (DTP). INCCRRA maintains this provider database for Illinois. All 8,495 facilities in Illinois (2,754 licensed child care centers and 5,741 licensed family child care homes listed in the database as providing care as of December 31, 2022) were invited to participate in the survey.

Administration of Surveys

On April 3, 2023, an email blast was sent to 7,628 providers with emails listed in the database (5,299 family child care providers, 2,329 centers) inviting them to participate in the Salary and Staffing Survey. On April 10, 2023, a letter was mailed to all centers (n = 2,754) in care of the center director and all family home providers (n = 5,741), including those who had already been sent an email. Both notifications delineated the purpose of the study and invited the providers to participate in it, either by completing the survey online or via a mailed paper questionnaire.

On June 1, 2023, reminder postcards were sent to the 7,357 providers (4,970 family child care home providers, 2,387 centers) who had not completed the survey as of May 17th, 2023. These postcards thanked providers who had completed the survey, reminded providers of the survey's availability both online and as a paper document, and provided the contact information necessary for providers to obtain the paper copy of the survey if so desired. Analyses were based on all completed surveys returned by August 31, 2023.

A total of 5,741 DCFS licensed family child care home and group home providers and 2,754 centers were invited to complete the Salary and Staffing Survey. Out of these, 1,035 family child care/group home providers (958 online; 50 paper) and 544 center directors (539 online and 5 paper) completed (to a degree) and returned the survey. The response rates for each type of program were 18.0 percent and 19.7 percent respectively. There were 117 family child care home surveys completed in Spanish, and 3 child care center surveys completed in Spanish.

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5. SDAs 3 and 4 were combined for this report.

6. Copies of both surveys are included in Appendix A

Survey Data

A discrepancy in the number of responses to each question exists because not all respondents completed each question. The number of raw responses to a question is denoted by the symbol (n or n =).

STATISTICAL NOTES

Using this data set as an example:

1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 99

n (lowercase)- the number responding to a single question (in this dataset n = 13) whereas N (uppercase) is the number of respondents in total for the survey. Respondents sometimes skip a question or it is inapplicable so the n for each question or analyses is noted.

MEAN - the average, the result of adding all values in a data set and dividing by the number of values. Means are sensitive to each number in a data set but can be easily affected by extreme values. In the example data set above, the mean is calculated as: (1+2+2+2+3+3+4+5+6+6+7+8+99) ÷ 13= 11.23. If the extreme value, 99, was to change to 9, the mean would change dramatically, 1+2+2+2+3+3+4+5+6+6+7+8+9) ÷ 13= 4.31.

MEDIAN - the number that falls in the center of a list of data when scores are ordered by value. The median is not affected by the relative size of extreme scores. The median in the data set above is 4. Changing the 99 to 9 has no effect on the median.

MODE - the number that occurs most frequently in a group of scores. The mode in the data set above is 2.

RANGE - the range is the difference between the highest and lowest score. In the sample data set the range is (1-99).

Profile of Child Care Centers: Key Findings

The term "child care center" encompasses an assortment of programs that have their own legal and regulatory status as well as funding sources. Types of programs include full-day/full-year center-based child care programs, preschool programs, nursery schools, state-funded Preschool for All pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start/Early Head Start programs, and school-age care programs. Staff qualifications and training requirements vary with the type of program.

"Legal status" indicates for-profit or not-for-profit; "regulatory status" refers to licensed or license exempt. Source of capital includes public and/or private funding sources. Public funding sources include but are not limited to: Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) vouchers, certificates or site contracts, the Chicago Department of Family Support Services (DFSS) site contracts, Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) vouchers or certificates, Head Start, State Board of Education (ISBE)/Preschool for All (PFA), Child and Adult Child Care Food Program, and municipal, state or federal grants. Examples of private funding sources include tuition-based (parent fees), private donations, grants from foundations or agencies such as the United Way, corporate or employer subsidies and fundraisers.

Some centers are independent and stand-alone enterprises - either for-profit or non-profit; some are part of a corporation or chain (or are corporate-sponsored), and some are affiliated with a social service agency, hospital, or college or university. Others are sponsored through funds from the federal, state, or local government or are affiliated with the public school system. Some are single-site programs and others are multi-site programs.

All of these types of centers represent variation in child care delivery that is considered in the survey analyses.

From the 2,754 invitations sent to child care centers, 539 online surveys were completed and an additional 5 paper surveys were completed. Thus, 544 center surveys were completed out of 2,754 delivered invitations, for a response rate of 19.6 percent. Table 1 presents the response rates by CCR&R service delivery area (SDA) (see Appendix B).

Table 1. Survey Return Rates by Service Delivery Area: Licensed Child Care Centers

Service Delivery Area	CCR&R Office Location	Centers	Surveys Completed	Percentage of Surveys Completed
SDA 1	Rockford	44	12	27.30%
SDA 2	DeKalb	107	29	27.10%
SDA 4	Addison	418	100	23.90%
SDA 5	Joliet	163	33	20.20%
SDA 6	Chicago	1349	202	15.00%
SDA 7	Moline	64	16	25.00%
SDA 8	Peoria	100	25	25.00%
SDA 9	Bloomington	38	7	18.40%
SDA 10	Urbana	80	16	20.00%
SDA 11	Charleston	28	6	21.40%
SDA 12	Quincy	22	7	31.80%
SDA 13	Springfield	77	21	27.30%
SDA 14	Granite City	145	37	25.50%
SDA 15	Mt Vernon	55	19	34.50%
SDA 16	Carterville	64	14	21.90%
Totals	--	2,754	544	19.80%

Respondent Role

Respondents were asked to provide basic information about their programs. Out of 544 centers responding to the survey, 62 (11.6 percent) were completed by owners, 142 (26.6 percent) by owner/directors, 275 (51.5 percent) by administrative directors (including CEO, executive director, and assistant directors), 31 (5.8 percent) by director/teachers, and 25 (3.1 percent) by other personnel including human resource personnel, administrative assistants, and fiscal officers. Figure 1 shows this breakdown. Since the majority of respondents to the licensed child care center survey were directors in some form (83.9 percent), all respondents will henceforth be referred to as "directors".

Types of Centers

Directors were queried about their programs, specifically: (1) hours of operation/program type;

(2) whether it is sponsored by a faith-based organization; and (3) whether it exists as a single or multi-site program. Data from the DTP database provided information as to whether the center was an accredited program and whether it has been awarded a Circle of Quality in the ExceleRate Illinois Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS).

Directors were asked to identify their center's schedule of operation based on hours open and center type. As shown in Figure 2 below, the 544 surveys yielded the following results,:

• 70.2 percent (n = 382) of centers were defined as full-day/full-year only (open at least eight hours per day for a minimum of 47 weeks per year);
• 15.6 percent (n = 85) were full-day/full-year programs with a separate part-day option;
• 8.6 percent (n = 47) were part-day only (nursery school, preschool, Head Start);
• 0.4 percent (n = 2) were defined as part-day only before- and/or after-school programs;
• 3.1 percent (n = 17) identified their center as operating on an "other" schedule; and
• 2.0 percent (n = 11) did not specify.

(Please note: unless otherwise specified, all further analyses will combine the data from both full-day and part-day programs.)

When asked whether their centers were sponsored by a faith-based organization, 431 directors (79.2 percent) responded "No", 99 (18.2 percent) answered "Yes", and 14 (2.6 percent) did not answer the item. Directors were also asked whether their program was a single-site program or part of a multi-site program. Over three-quarters (78.5 percent, n = 427) indicated that their program was a single-site program; 19.3 percent (n = 105) were part of a multi-site program, and 2.2 percent (n = 12) did not report whether or not their center was single or multi-site.

Accreditation & ExceleRate Illinois Status

Accreditation demonstrates a center's commitment to high quality in early care and education by meeting voluntary guidelines and standards established by national accrediting organizations. The ExceleRate Illinois Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS) is designed to make continuous quality improvement an everyday priority among early learning providers. Providers who care for children eligible for the IDHS Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) also receive a quality bonus above the standard payment rate if they achieve an ExceleRate Illinois Circle of Quality above the Licensed Circle of Quality. Using information from INCCRRA's databases, variables were created to indicate the accreditation and ExceleRate Illinois rating status of licensed centers participating in the salary and staffing survey.

Of all 544 programs responding to the FY 2023 survey, 19.7 percent (n = 107) were accredited:

• 72 (13.2 percent) were accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC);
• 26 (4.8 percent) were accredited by the National Accreditation Commission (NAC) under the auspices of the Association Early Learning Leaders ;
• 4 (0.7 percent) were accredited through AdvancED;
• 3 (0.6 percent) were accredited by American Montessori Society (AMS);
• 2 (0.4 percent) were accredited through the Council on Accreditation (COA);
• No programs were accredited through NECPA (National Early Childhood Program Accreditation).

In FY 2023, all 544 centers responding to the survey participated in ExceleRate Illinois, with 72.1 percent (n = 392) being at the Licensed Circle of Quality and 27.9 percent (n = 152) having a higher Circle of Quality. Of those 152 programs, 15.8 percent (n = 24) of programs earned a Bronze Circle of Quality, 40.1 percent (n = 61) of programs earned a Silver Circle of Quality, and 44.1 percent (n = 67) of programs earned the Gold Circle of Quality. Please note that centers can simultaneously hold a Circle of Quality and be nationally accredited. Of the 152 centers that had achieved a rating above the Licensed Circle of Quality, 45.4 percent (n = 69) were also nationally accredited. Figure 3 shows the breakdown between Licensed and Higher Circles of Quality, with a further breakdown within the Higher Circles of Quality category.

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7. From the ExceleRate Illinois website,

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8. Formerly the National Association of Child Care Professionals.

9. To further identify the prevalence of accredited centers in Illinois, data were accessed from the Data Tracking Program (DTP) in July 2023 and showed that: 364 (13.2 percent of all Illinois centers) are NAEYC accredited, 113 (4.1 percent of all Illinois centers) are NAC accredited, 16 (0.6 percent of all Illinois centers) are AMS accredited, 13 (0.5 percent of all Illinois centers) are COA accredited, 9 (0.3 percent of all Illinois centers) are AdvancED accredited, and 3 (0.1 percent of all Illinois centers) is NECPA accredited. Overall, 18 percent of all center programs in Illinois have been accredited by national organizations and meet nationally recognized standards for high quality.

10. According to data retrieved for all programs from INCCRRA's Data Tracking Program (DTP), on July 1, 2023: 76.5 percent of centers were at the Licensed Circle of Quality, 2.5 percent were at Bronze, 10.1 percent were at Silver, and 10.9 percent were at the Gold Circle of Quality.

Center Program Revenue

To assess center program revenues, directors were asked to describe the legal status of their center, list center funding sources, estimate the contribution of each funding source to the center's overall budget, and provide totals on center revenue, operating budget, and net profit.

First, directors were asked to delineate the legal status of their program (profit or non-profit).

The legal status of a program influences the types of revenue available to the program as well as a host of other factors that define or affect the program. Of the 559 centers who participated in the survey, also shown below in Figure 4:

• 299 (55.0 percent) reported their centers as for-profit enterprises:
  • 29.4 percent (n = 160) reported their center as a for-profit private proprietary or partnership;
  • 23.9 percent (n = 130) reported their center as a for profit corporate sponsored;
  • 1.7 percent (n = 9) reported their center as a for-profit corporation or chain;
• 184 (33.8 percent) described their centers as a private non-profit:
  • 28.1 percent (n = 153) described their center as an independent private non-profit;
  • 5.7 percent (n = 31) described their center as a private non-profit affiliated with a social service agency or hospital;
• 41 (7.5 percent) identified their centers as a public non-profit- sponsored by federal, state, or local government;
• 7 (1.3 percent) identified their centers as college or university affiliated;
• 2 (0.4 percent) identified their centers as a public school; and
• 11 (2.0 percent) of center directors did not respond to this item.

Next, center directors were provided a list of funding sources and asked to indicate which ones their center currently received. Figure 5 and Table 2 identify each revenue source and the percentage and number of centers who reported receiving it. As Figure 5 reveals, 90.6 percent of all centers stated a portion of their funding base was comprised of tuition-based/parent fees. Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and/or IDHS Site Contracts were the second most common source of funding (73.2 percent).

Table 2. Type of Center Program Revenues: Percentage of centers reporting each type of revenue (n = 544)

Type of Program Revenue	Percentage	n
Tuition-Based (Parent Fees)	90.6%	493
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and/or IDHS Site Contract	71.9%	391
COVID-19 Relief Funds (e.g., PPP, EIDL, CCRG, etc.)	57.7%	314
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) vouchers or certificates	43.4%	236
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)	38.8%	211
Private Donations, grants (e.g., foundations, United Way), or fundraising	21.5%	117
Head Start	7.5%	41
State Board of Education (ISBE)/Preschool for All (PFA)	6.4%	35
Early Head Start	6.1%	33
Chicago Department of Family Support Services (DFSS) Site Contract	5.3%	29
Other (fundraisers, church sponsorship, grants…)	4.2%	23
State Board of Education (ISBE) Prevention Initiative	2.0%	11
Corporate/employer subsidies	1.8%	10
State Board of Education (ISBE)/Preschool for All (PFA) - Expansion	0.9%	5
Chicago Public Schools (CPS)/Preschool for All (PFA)	0.7%	4

Figure and Table should be read: "90.6 percent of licensed child care centers received tuition-based revenues."

1. Percentages add up to greater than 100 percent as respondents were asked to endorse all items applicable to their programs.

Not only were directors asked to identify the various sources of funding which comprised their center's revenue base, but they were also asked to estimate the percentage that each funding source contributed to their general revenue. Tuition and parent fees were reported to be the most common source of funding for centers (90.6 percent), with tuition and fees comprising an average of 54.0 percent (n = 479, median = 60.0 percent) or slightly above half of center revenue.

The average and median percentages for each additional funding source for the 544 centers who answered the question are provided below:

• IDHS CCAP vouchers, site contracts, or DFSS site contracts comprised 31.9 percent of the total revenue base (median = 25.0 percent),
• Head Start or Early Head Start funds comprised 17.3 percent (median = 0.0 percent),
• COVID-19 relief funds made up 15.2 percent (median = 11.0 percent),
• Preschool for All or Prevention Initiative funds made up 7.2 percent (median = 0.0 percent),
• Public funding (state, federal, or local) comprised 6.4 percent (median = 0.0 percent),
• CACFP funds made up 6.0 percent (median = 5.0 percent),
• DCFS vouchers/certificates made up 5.9 percent (median = 3.0 percent),
• private donations and gifts were 5.0 percent (median = 2.0 percent),
• other public funding provided 4.8 percent (median = 0.0 percent), and
• corporate/employer subsidies were 1.9 percent of total revenue base (median = 0.0 percent).

Directors were asked to approximate the annual operating costs, annual income, and annual net profit for their centers. A wide range of budgets emerged. Annual operating expenses averaged $688,864.89 (n= 393), with a median of $535,000. Annual revenues averaged $721,013.99 (n = 393) with a median of $525,000. Annual net profit averaged $101,392.87 (n = 375), with a median of $20,000.

As stated previously, the term "child care center" encompasses an array of programs and facilities such as public and private or for-profit and not-for-profit. To report a single figure for revenues or expenses that represents the fiscal experience of child care centers in Illinois obscures the varied nature of child care. Table 3 presents the operating costs and revenues of licensed Illinois child care centers by profit/nonprofit status and affiliation, and Figure 6 shows the annual profits by status. The table documents that fiscal outcomes of child care centers are as varied as the centers themselves. Not surprisingly, as with the findings from 2021, corporate for-profit centers generally yield a profit, but public and private nonprofit centers make considerably less.

Table 3. Annual Revenues and Operating Costs by Profit/Non-Profit Status: Licensed Child Care Centers

Legal Status of Center	Mean Revenues	Median Revenues	Mean Operating Costs	Median Operating Costs	n
For Profit: private proprietary or partnership	$848,432	$702,000	$784,164	$649,666	114
For Profit- corporation or chain	$865,628	$814,000	$712,747	$500,000	9
For Profit- corporate sponsored	$819,841	$719,277	$743,880	$607,921	96
Private nonprofit- independent	$540,243	$420,000	$549,337	$400,000	117
Private nonprofit- affiliated with a social service agency or hospital	$668,736	$372,000	$781,974	$450,000	19
Public nonprofit- sponsored by federal, state, or local government	$605,323	$390,000	$611,714	$387,382	28
College or university affiliated	$748,983	$515,000	$782,067	$550,000	7

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11. Operating cost and revenue values over $3 million were excluded from analyses.

As with the last seven surveys, questions were asked to ascertain whether the general economy was perceived to have affected either the operating costs and/or revenues of centers. Directors were asked to rate these changes on a scale from 1 ("Decreased greatly") to 5 ("Increased greatly"). Directors rated the average change in operating costs as 4.2 (n = 502; median = 4.0) and the average change to revenue as 2.9 (n = 489; median = 3.0). Slightly more than two-thirds (68.6 percent) of the directors that indicated revenues "stayed about the same" noted that operating costs had increased in the last two years.

When providers were asked how much impact COVID-19 had on their program's funding/finances over the past two years, out of 507 responses, 53.6 percent (n = 272) indicated high to very high impact, 35.5 percent (n = 180) indicated moderate impact, 9.3 percent (n = 47) indicated low to very low impact, and 1.6 (n = 8) percent indicated no impact.

If centers charge private-paying parents more for child care than the child care subsidy program reimburses, the center can ask the parent to pay the difference between the rates (if not a contracted site provider). Similar to FY 2021, nearly one-third of the reporting centers (32.0 percent; n = 123 out of 384) enrolling subsidized children charge parents more than the amount reimbursed by the subsidy program.

Directors were also asked to rate the ease of collecting the parent's share of subsidized child care (parent co-pay plus any difference between state reimbursement and center rate). On a scale of 1 ("Very easy") to 5 ("Very difficult"), responding centers (n = 377) reported an average rating of 3.2 (median = 3.0), indicating that the task was "Neither easy nor difficult." Directors were further asked whether collecting the parent share had gotten easier or more difficult in the past two years (again on a scale from 1 ("Much easier") to 5 ("Much more difficult"). The average rate reported was 3.2 with a median of 3.0, indicating that it had mostly "stayed the same."

Capacity and Enrollment Patterns

Licensed capacity is defined as the maximum number of children permitted for care in the child care facility at any one time. The ages of children that can be enrolled in a licensed center varies between six weeks - 12 years of age and are stipulated on the center's DCFS license. Of the 544 responding centers, the mean total licensed capacity was 92.6 children, with a median licensed capacity of 82.5. The average total capacity of reporting centers was somewhat lower than the average licensed capacity of the 2,752 active licensed centers with data in the Registry (85.9 children).

When asked to recount their current total enrollment (how many children attended their program), directors (n = 511) reported an average current total enrollment of 81.3 children, with a median current total enrollment of 72. Please note that enrollments can exceed total licensed capacity as counts may be made across multiple shifts and/or include children who attend programs on a part-time basis.

Directors were asked whether they had children enrolled whose families receive Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Chicago Department of Family Support Services (DFSS), and/or Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) financial assistance (subsidized child care). A preponderance (76.2 percent; n = 404) of responding centers have children enrolled whose families receive IDHS, DFSS, and/or DCFS assistance. These centers enrolled an average of 33.8 children (median enrollment of 20.0) whose child care was subsidized by the aforementioned types of assistance.

To calculate the percentage of subsidized children enrolled in a center, the number of subsidized children enrolled was divided by the center's current total enrollment (n = 368). On average, 50.1 percent (median = 33.5 percent, with a range of from 0 to 100 percent) or, about four out of every ten children enrolled in licensed child care centers, had child care paid through IDHS, DFSS, and/or DCFS public financial assistance. This was 7.7 percent higher than the FY 2021 Salary and Staffing Survey report of 42.4 percent, and 12.4 percent higher than the FY 2019 report of 37.7 percent.

To further explore the enrollment patterns of centers, directors were asked how frequently their programs had vacancies over the past two years. On a scale of 1 ("There are always vacancies") to 5 ("There are never vacancies"), directors (n = 507) reported an average of 2.4 (with a median of 2.0). A rating of 2 means directors observed "there are often vacancies" in their centers. Figure 7 and Table 4 display enrollment patterns.

 

Table 4. Enrollment Patterns (n = 507)

Enrollment Pattern	Percentage	n
1 (There are always vacancies)	35.9%	182
2 (There are often vacancies)	14.2%	72
3 (There are sometimes vacancies)	25.6%	130
4 (There are rarely vacancies)	21.1%	107
5 (There are never vacancies)	3.2%	16

As Figure 7 and Table 4 demonstrate, 75.7 percent of all directors rated their vacancy pattern as "There are always vacancies" to "There are sometimes vacancies". This is 6.8 percent less than what was reported in FY 2021 (at the time of response, not pre-COVID), indicating that center directors have experienced reduced vacancies. It is interesting to note that per the DTP database, 5.7 percent of all contacted Illinois child care centers that closed their doors between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, closed due to "insufficient enrollment." This is a slight increase from 5.1 percent in 2021 and 4.5 percent reported in the FY 2019 report.

Directors were also asked to reflect on how enrollment had changed over the past two years. On a scale from 1 ("Decreased greatly") to 5 ("Increased greatly"), directors indicated that, on average, the change of enrollment was 2.7 (n = 512; median = 3.0). The number 3 on the scale designates that the current enrollment "stayed about the same", and the number 1 on the scale means that the current enrollment "decreased greatly". A comparison of the 2021 (at the time of response) data indicate perceived enrollment patterns have slightly increased.

When providers were asked how much impact COVID-19 had on their program's enrollment patterns over the past two years, out of 513 responses, 42.3 percent (n = 217) indicated high to very high impact, 37.0 percent (n = 190) indicated moderate impact, 17.4 percent (n = 89) indicated low to very low impact, and 3.3 percent (n = 17) indicated no impact. Over half (53.9 percent; n = 276) of 512 providers indicated their current lower than their pre-pandemic enrollment, while 30.1 percent (n = 154) shared that their current enrollment is the same as their pre-pandemic enrollment. Only 16.0 percent (n = 82) of providers currently have a higher enrollment than they did pre-pandemic.

Ethnicity of Children in Programs

The 544 center directors responding to the item estimated that, on average, 64.0 percent of the children in their programs were Caucasian/White, 24.8 percent were African American/Black, 17.8 percent were Hispanic/Latino, 8.7 percent were multi-racial, 7.6 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander, 3.5 percent were of other racial/ethnic groups, and 0.4 percent were Native American. The averages are shown in Figure 8 below, with medians and ranges in Table 5.

Table 5. Medians and Ranges of Children in Programs: Child Care Centers

Ethnicity	Median	Range
Caucasian/White	75.00%	0% - 100%
African American/Black	10.00%	0% - 100%
Hispanic/Latino	7.00%	0% - 100%
Multi-Racial	5.00%	0% - 75%
Asian/Pacific Islander	3.00%	0% - 97%
Other	0.00%	0% - 48%
Native American	0.00%	0% - 10%

Over half (58.3 percent; n = 302) of directors indicated that there were children in their programs whose primary language was not English. Directors who reported children in their programs who spoke a language other than English also reported on the other languages spoken by the children in their center. In descending order, the following languages were reported to be spoken by the children. The percent shown in Figure 9 represents the frequency of children who speak the indicated language in the 544 centers represented in the 2023 Salary and Staffing Survey. Spanish (44.1 percent) was the predominant non-English primary language spoken by children in the responding centers.

Staffing Patterns

Directors were asked to provide information on the number of full-time and part-time staff employed in their center. In order to ensure the uniformity of job titles between the centers, the five staff positions highlighted in DCFS licensing standards (see Appendix C) were used throughout the survey. The position of center director was separated into two categories to account for directors who double as teachers in their center. Other job categories were also listed in the survey that corresponded to those examined in previous surveys. Table 6 depicts the breakdown of center staff by position as well as the mean number of employees in the positions.

Table 6. Breakdown of Center Staff by Position

Position	Employees	Centers1	Mean Employees per Center	Median Employees per Center
DCFS-Defined Positions	-	-	-	-
Administrative Director	570	437	1.3	1
Director/Teacher2	656	413	1.6	1
Early Childhood Teacher	3,614	472	7.7	6
Early Childhood Assistant	2,953	453	6.5	5
School-Age Worker	227	236	1	1
School-Age Assistant	142	182	0.8	0
Other Staff Positions	Employees	Centers	Mean Employees per Center	Median Employees per Center
Curriculum Coordinator	62	171	0.4	0
Family Support/	115	161	0.7	0
Parent Educator	-	-	-	-
Cook	362	335	1.1	1
Administrative Support/Secretary	202	236	0.9	1
Building Support Staff	264	255	1	1
Other	205	142	1.4	0

• 1. Number of centers with one or more staff members of the designated title.
• 2. A director/teacher must meet the qualifications of both the director position and the teaching position.

The average child care center employs 19.1 staff members, the majority (87.2 percent) in DCFS-defined positions. Early childhood teachers represented the single largest category of child care staff (38.6 percent of all staff and 44.3 percent of all DCFS-defined instructional positions).

Directors were also asked to report on how many of their staff were lead teachers. Lead teachers were defined as follows:

The lead teacher is the individual with the highest educational qualifications assigned to teach a group/classroom of children and who is responsible for daily lesson planning, parent conferences, child assessment, and curriculum planning.

• Depending on the program, this individual may be called a head teacher, master teacher, or teacher.
• Each group/classroom will have one, and only one, lead teacher.

A total of 478 centers provided information about lead teachers. Child care centers averaged 6.7 lead teachers, with a median of 5.0. This figure remains fairly consistent to findings from 2021 (mean = 5.8; median = 5.0) and 2019 (mean = 6.0; median = 5.0).

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12. The position "Lead Teacher" is not an DCFS-defined position. However, a recommendation to revise DCFS Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers to add "lead teacher" as a separate role category for teaching staff, appeared in the publication: "Who's Caring for the Kids? The Status of the Early Childhood Workforce - 2008," a joint project by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership at National-Louis University and the Early Childhood Parenting Collaborative at the University of Illinois. This report combined statistical data from IDHS, ISBE and INCCRRA to summarize the status of early child care education in Illinois and to make recommendations. The report proposed a definition of a "lead teacher" and the ECE credential levels which would be required for personnel hired as lead teachers in a child care center and/or Preschool for All program.

Table 6 indicates that on average most centers employ one cook and one building support person in their program; however, not all centers have these employees on their regular staff. Of the 544 directors who responded to the survey, 48.9 percent contracted for grounds maintenance, 39.7 percent contracted for building cleaning, 35.3 percent indicated that they contracted for food service, and 6.1 percent indicated that they contracted for other services such as pest control, nursing, and information technology.

To further explore staffing patterns, directors were asked to identify the number of instructional staff with a second-paying job outside of their center. Out of 483 responses to this question, 251 directors answered "I don't know" and 232 (48.0 percent) indicated that at least one member of their instructional staff had a second paying outside job. These directors reported that on average, 2.7 (median = 2.0; range = from 1 to 15) of their instructional staff had a second-paying job outside their center. The average number of staff reported to have an outside paying job is consistent with the findings from the last several surveys. The range decreased from 1 to 40 in FY 21 to 1 to 15 in FY 23 and is more consistent with surveys FY 19 and older.

Male Staff

Men continue to be underrepresented when it comes to employment in the field of early care and education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2022 national percentage of men employed as child care workers was 5.7 percent, employed as teacher assistants was 18.7 percent and employed as preschool or kindergarten teachers was 2.6 percent. To assess how many males were employed in child care centers in Illinois, respondents were asked to indicate the number of males employed in DCFS center staff positions. Table 7 presents the number of male staff members employed in each position. While 26.1 percent of centers employed one or more male staff members in an instructional capacity (all positions except administrative director in Table 7), only 2.5 percent (n = 208) out of 8,162 of instructional staff were male. This percentage remained consistent with the 2021 report.

Table 7. Male Center Staff by Position

Position	All Employees	Male Employees	Percent of Male Employees	All Centers1	Centers with Male Staff2	Percent of all Centers with Male Staff3
Administrative Director	570	43	7.5%	437	30	6.9%
Director/Teacher	656	12	1.8%	413	9	2.2%
Early Childhood Teacher	3,614	62	1.7%	472	50	10.6%
Early Childhood Assistant	2,953	82	2.8%	453	60	13.2%
School-Age Worker	227	36	15.9%	236	29	12.3%
School-Age Assistant	142	16	11.3%	182	13	7.1%
All Positions	8,162	251	3.1%	490	150	30.6%

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13. Figures were calculated by comparing the number of women in the position to the total number of workers in the position. This produced the number of males in the position. The BLS combines the positions of kindergarten and preschool teachers in their data. Data from, "Household Data Annual Averages", U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

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Table should be read: "Of the 437 centers who had administrative directors, 30 or 6.9 percent had a male administrative director."

• 1. Number of centers with one or more staff members of the designated title.
• 2. Number of centers with one or more male staff members of the designated title.
• 3. Percentage of centers with one or more male staff members of the designated title.

Note: See Note on Table 6

Non-English Fluency of Staff

As previously reported, over half of responding centers reported caring for at least one child whose primary language was other than English. In order to gauge staff capacity to speak a language other than English effectively, we asked directors to indicate how many of their staff were fluent in a non-English language. Table 8 presents the results of this inquiry. Over 22 percent (22.5%) of the 7,592 instructional staff were reported to be fluent in a language other than English (this is an increase from what was reported in 2021 and 2019, a continuation of the increase from the 16.1 percent reported in 2017 and 15.9 percent reported in 2015). Nearly two-thirds of all centers (62.2 percent) had at least one instructional staff member who was fluent in a non-English language. This is an increase from the 45.9 percent in 2021 and 46.1 percent in 2019.

Table 8. Number of Staff who are Fluent in a Non-English Language by Position

Position	All	Employees with non-English Fluency	Employees with Non-English Fluency	All Centers1	Centers with Non-English Fluent Staff 2	Percent of Centers who Employ Non-English Fluent Staff3
-	Employees	-	-	-	-	-
Administrative Director	570	116	20.40%	437	96	22.00%
Director/Teacher	656	133	20.30%	413	100	24.20%
Early Childhood Teacher	3,614	819	22.70%	472	234	49.60%
Early Childhood Assistant	2,953	652	22.10%	453	195	43.00%
School-Age Worker	227	59	26.00%	236	38	16.10%
School-Age Assistant	142	45	31.70%	182	23	12.60%
All Positions	8,162	1,824	22.30%	490	311	63.50%

• 1. Number of centers with one or more staff members of the designated title.
• 2. Number of centers with one or more staff members of the designated title fluent in a non-English language.
• 3. Percentage of centers with one or more staff members of the designated title who are fluent in a non-English language.

Table should be read: "Of the 437 centers who had administrative directors, 96 or 22.0 percent had an administrative director who is fluent in a language other than English."

Note: See Note on Table 6

Multiple languages were reported as spoken fluently by center staff. Spanish was the most common, with 50.2% of all survey respondents having at least one staff person that speaks Spanish. Additional languages and percentages are shown in Figure 10.

Professional Development

Illinois State Professional Development Programs

Directors were asked about their awareness of and staff awareness of professional development opportunities and programs available in Illinois. Several programs exist including:

• The Gateways to Opportunity Illinois Professional Development System is recognized for promoting quality and professionalism for early care and education, school-age, and youth practitioners.
  • The Gateways to Opportunity Registry is available for practitioners to track their training and professional development.
  • Great START (Strategy to Attract and Retain Teachers) is a wage supplement program that aims to increase child care practitioner retention while encouraging increased levels of education.
  • The Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program provides partial funding for college scholarships for both center and family child care providers in an effort to increase the educational levels of practitioners, promote increased practitioner compensation, and improve the consistency of care for children.
  • Gateways to Opportunity awards credentials to practitioners in the field of early care and education, school-age and youth development. The various credentials that can be earned are the ECE Credential, Infant Toddler Credential (ITC), Illinois Director Credential (IDC), Family Child Care Credential (FCCC), School-Age and Youth Development Credential (SAYD), Family Specialist Credential (FSC), and the Technical Assistance Credential. Achievement of these credentials is based on educational level, professional development background and work experience in the field of early care and education.
  • The Professional Development Advisor (PDA) Program pairs experienced mentors with less experienced practitioners to assist the latter in meeting their professional development goals.
  • The Gateways i-learning System is a web-based platform that provides online training opportunities to early care and education professionals. Online trainings offered include those required for DCFS licensing, ExceleRate Illinois, and Gateways to Opportunity Credentials.
• ExceleRate Illinois is a statewide quality recognition and improvement system (QRIS) designed to make continuous quality improvement an everyday priority among early learning providers. The program establishes standards for helping children develop intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally.
• Local Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&R) offer various services for child care providers, parents and communities. Services for child care providers include technical assistance, training and consultation from specialists including Quality and Infant Toddler Specialists, and Mental Health Consultants.

Directors' awareness of the various professional development opportunities are reported below.

• 99.6 percent (n = 492) of the 494 responding centers knew of the Gateways to Opportunity Registry;
• 98.3 percent (n = 475) of the 483 responding centers had heard of Gateways to Opportunity Credentials;
• 95.7 percent (n = 463) of the 484 responding centers reported they had heard of the Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program;
  • 22.8 percent (n = 124) of all 544 responding centers had at least one Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship participant for a total of 264 participants
• 95.4 percent (n = 461) of the 483 responding centers knew of the ExceleRate Illinois Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS);
• 94.9 percent (n = 447) of the 471 responding center directors knew of the online training opportunities available through the Gateways i-learning System.
• 91.9 percent (n = 441) of the 480 responding center directors reported knowing of the Great START Program;
  • 56.8 percent (n = 309) of all 544 responding centers had at least one Great START recipient in the past two years. Those 309 programs had a total of 1,056 recipients.
• 82.2 percent (n = 383) of the 466 responding center directors knew of the consultants/specialists available through their local Child Care Resource & Referral agency; and
• 64.5 percent (n = 296) of the 459 responding center directors reported they had heard of the Professional Development Advisor Program.

Some directors provided written feedback about these professional development opportunities. Below is a representative comment:

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"Great start wage supplement is also being used by several of our staff members and that has helped us keep our director/teacher from leaving for higher paying jobs."

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"Professional Development Plan

According to DCFS Center Licensing Standards, center directors are responsible for ensuring that each child care staff member receives 15 hours of training each year. Programs that are accredited may have additional requirements beyond the 15 hours of training. A series of questions were devoted to finding out whether a center had a professional development (PD) plan for staff to meet this requirement, and the modes in which staff received training. The surveys gathered for this report have indicated that professional development plans have continued to be part of the directors' continuous quality improvement. The 2021 report showed that 78.7 percent of the responding centers had professional development plans, and 68.1 percent had professional development plans for their staff. This compared to the 79.5 percent and 70.3 percent respectively, in this report. This continues a trend that began with marked increases in the percent for the 2017 report (the 2017 report showed 79.0 percent of centers had PD plans for their center and 67.1 had plans for individual staff compared to 78.6 and 70.2 percent respectively in 2019).

Professional Development Plan for Staff

• 79.5 percent (n = 387) of the 487 directors who responded to the question reported they have a staff professional development plan for their center.
• 70.3 percent (n = 344) of the 489 directors who responded reported they have an individual staff professional development plan for their teaching/instruction staff.
• 93.2 percent (n = 452) of the 485 directors who responded to the question reported they have in-service training opportunities for their instructional staff.
• 87.2 percent (n = 423) of the 485 directors who responded to the question reported they pay for conference training or registration.

Training Received

Of the 544 directors who responded to the question concerning training in early childhood education, child development, or health education:

• 82.9 percent (n= 451) reported their staff had received training through an online training source;
• 56.6 percent (n = 308) reported their staff had received training from a Child Care Resource and Referral agency;
• 39.9 percent (n = 217) reported their staff had received training at a professional association meeting or conference; and
• 39.5 percent (n = 215) reported their staff had received training from a local community training.

Directors were also asked whether they believe there are adequate training opportunities available to them and their staff. Of the 493 directors who responded, 87.4 percent believe there are adequate training opportunities available to them and their staff. This is an increase compared to the responses from 2021 (82.0 percent), 2019 (78.0 percent), and 2017 (79.0 percent). A possible explanation may be an increase in the amount of online training that has been made available and/or the use of it. For example, several new trainings were made available in the past several years through the Gateways to Opportunity i-learning System.

Peer Support

It is the director's responsibility to ensure center compliance with DCFS licensing and other regulations, manage the day-to-day operations of the center, be its overall manager, and deal with various challenges on a daily basis. To measure the director's resilience to the nature and scope of issues inherent in his or her position, directors were queried about their support system (contact with other child care professionals).

When asked, "Approximately how many other child care professionals in addition to your immediate staff did you speak to last week?", 53.9 percent (n = 254) of the 472 responding directors reported that in the past week they spoke to no more than two additional child care professionals in addition to their immediate center staff, 20.1 percent (n = 95) reported that they spoke to between three and five additional child care professionals, and 26.1 percent (n = 123) reported that they spoke to six or more additional child care professionals.

Directors were also asked to indicate how many other center professionals they know personally, in addition to their immediate center staff. Of the 470 directors who responded:

• 61.5 percent (n = 289) reported knowing at least six other child care professionals;
• 19.6 percent (n = 92) reported knowing three to five child care professionals; and
• 18.9 percent (n = 89) directors reported knowing two or fewer child care professionals.

Staff Turnover

Turnover Rates

When searching for a quality child care arrangement in a center, parents are advised to ask, "What is your staff turnover rate?" A consistent, nurturing caregiver is essential to creating a positive, trusting learning environment for children. That is why a stable workforce is paramount to providing quality child care. In order to understand the factors that comprise a stable workforce, questions concerning turnover rate, applicants, and new hires were posed.

Directors were asked to report the number of full-time and part-time staff members who left their program within the past two years. Temporary, substitute, and seasonal staff were excluded. To determine the percentage of turnover rate at the center level, the number of centers with staff exits within the past two years was compared to the number of centers employing staff with the given position. Staff turnover rates at the center level are presented in Figure 11 and Table 9.

Table 9. Two-Year Center Level Turnover Rate by Position

Position	Centers Employing Staff1	Centers who had Staff Leave in Past 2 Years	Center Turnover Rate
Administrative Director	437	69	15.8%
Director/Teacher	413	98	23.7%
Early Childhood Teacher	472	339	71.8%
Early Childhood Assistant	453	334	73.7%
School-Age Worker	236	48	20.3%
School-Age Assistant	182	27	14.8%

1. Number of centers reporting at least one staff member of the indicated position. See Table 6.

Figure and Table should be read: "15.8 percent of centers employing administrative directors had one or more administrative director(s) leave their position in the past two years."

The percentage of centers experiencing staff turnover in the past two years increased with regard to turnover in the administrative director and director/teacher positions (15.8 percent and 23.7 percent in 2023 compared to 10.9 percent and 21.9 percent in 2021, respectively) and for early childhood teacher, early childhood assistant, and school-age assistant positions (71.8, 73.7, and 14.8 percent in 2023 compared to 69.7, 67.5, and 13.4 percent in 2021, respectively). The only position that saw a decrease in turnover was school-age worker, with 20.3 percent in 2023 and 25.3 percent in 2021).

In order to calculate the turnover rate on an individual position level, the number of staff who left in the past two years was compared to the number of employees currently employed. Figure 12 and Table 10 display the percentages of employees who left each position within the past two years.

Table 10. Two-Year Individual Position Level Turnover Rate by Position

Position	Employees1	Staff Who Left in Past 2 Years	Employee Turnover Rate
Administrative Director	570	101	17.7%
Director/Teacher	656	148	22.6%
Early Childhood Teacher	3,614	1,480	41.0%
Early Childhood Assistant	2,953	2,041	69.1%
School-Age Worker	227	132	58.1%
School-Age Assistant	142	76	53.5%

1. From Table 6

Figure and Table should be read: "17.7 percent of administrative directors left their position within the two years preceding the survey."

Individual turnover rates for administrative directors and director/teacher positions showed increases (17.7 and 22.6 percent in 2023 compared to 10.4 and 18.6 percent in 2021). Turnover rates for early childhood teachers and assistants saw a pretty significant increase (41.0 and 69.1 percent in 2023 compared to 39.5 and 55.9 percent in 2021).

Data regarding the two-year turnover rate by position has been collected since the FY 1997 Staffing Salary Survey (although the turnover rates were referred to as "replacement rates" in all surveys prior to FY 2003). Table 11 offers a comparison of these rates from FY 2013-FY 2023, and Figure 13 provides a visualization of the changes in turnover over time.

Table 11. Two-Year Turnover Rate (Individual Position Level) by Position: FY 2013 - FY 2023

Position	FY	FY	FY	FY	FY	FY
--	2013	2015	2017	2019	2021	2023
Administrative Director	10%	16%	15%	11%	10%	18%
Director/Teacher	16%	23%	24%	21%	19%	23%
Early Childhood Teacher	26%	27%	34%	32%	40%	41%
Early Childhood Assistant	33%	34%	39%	46%	56%	69%
School-Age Worker	28%	25%	40%	34%	44%	58%
School-Age Assistant	34%	33%	32%	32%	45%	54%

Table should be read: "For every 100 administrative directors working in FY 2023, 18 administrative directors left in the two years preceding the survey."

Turnover Reasons

In this survey, we first asked how many staff turned over of their own choice and how many were terminated. Directors reported that 85.2 percent of staff that left their program in the past two years did so voluntarily. Directors were then asked, for the staff who left of their own choice, their reason for leaving, to the best of the director's knowledge. Table 12a shows the percent of staff in that position that left for each given reason, based on the director's knowledge. (Percentages will not add to 100 as not all directors specified reasons, and some specified more than one.)

Table 12a. Percentage of Staff Departures by Reason for Leaving Voluntarily

Reason for Leaving	Admin. Director	Director/Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School-Age Assistant
Dissatisfied with wages or benefits	7.90%	29.70%	29.30%	19.80%	12.90%	14.50%
Dissatisfied with work schedule or availability of hours	1.00%	4.10%	4.00%	3.70%	3.00%	1.30%
Not enough opp. for professional development or growth	4.00%	8.80%	3.50%	0.80%	1.50%	0.00%
Unhappy with job duties	5.90%	8.10%	6.60%	6.80%	5.30%	6.60%
Burnout	7.90%	4.10%	10.40%	4.00%	3.80%	2.60%
Retirement	13.90%	4.10%	3.00%	0.70%	0.80%	0.00%
Personal / family issues	11.90%	10.80%	13.20%	10.50%	5.30%	2.60%
Staying at home with their own children	2.00%	2.00%	3.20%	2.40%	0.00%	1.30%
Unknown/did not share	1.00%	4.70%	6.10%	9.00%	1.50%	3.90%

Table should be read: "Directors reported that 29.3 percent of Early Childhood Teachers that left in the past two years did so because they were dissatisfied with wages or benefits."

It is apparent from Table 12a that the most significant reasons for staff exit were dissatisfaction with wages or benefits; personal or family issues; and burnout. In addition to asking the reason why staff left, directors were asked a follow-up question to determine where the staff that left went - whether they stayed in the field or went into a different field, as shown in Table 12b.

Table 12b. Percentage of Staff Departures by Type of New Position

Reason for Leaving	Admin. Director	Director/Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School-Age Assistant
Opened their own child care center or family child care home	1.00%	4.70%	0.40%	0.00%	0.80%	0.00%
Went to a different child care center	10.90%	15.50%	16.30%	8.70%	3.00%	0.00%
Went to work within the public school system	5.90%	6.80%	10.20%	2.70%	2.30%	1.30%
Found another job within the field of ECE	8.90%	14.20%	4.80%	2.80%	0.80%	1.30%
Found job outside of the field of ECE	2.00%	4.10%	19.10%	15.10%	12.10%	7.90%
Moved out of the area	5.00%	4.10%	5.80%	2.80%	5.30%	2.60%
Went back to school	1.00%	0.00%	3.80%	1.20%	1.50%	1.30%
Unknown/did not share	20.80%	13.50%	13.90%	13.90%	9.10%	13.20%

Table should be read: "Directors reported that 15.5 percent of Early Childhood Teachers that left in the past two years went to a different child care center."

While directors did not know what type of position many of the departing staff ended up going to, it seems that administrative directors, director/teachers, and early childhood teachers frequently went to work at different child care centers or in the public school system. A plurality of staff ended up going to work in positions outside of the field of early care and education, especially staff from the early childhood teacher and assistant categories.

In response to the question of staff turnover, directors reported:

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"Many staff including myself are not satisfied with our salaries […] The cost of living is constantly rising and our pay is not compensated."

"Health insurance is another big reason staff leave, and I offer health insurance, but can only afford to cover half of the expenses for that, so it is still pricey. Most staff leave for a state job, or they just down right don't want to work, usually they end up coming back. They deserve more pay in this field but it is impossible to pay more when money is always so tight. The amount of staff required and the minimum wage increase is killing us financially. They all deserve more, but my parents can't afford to pay more, so I can't charge more, or I will lose families."

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Applicants for Vacant Positions

Directors were asked to respond to a number of items in order to determine how vacant positions are filled, what type of applicants apply, and what attracts applicants to the field. For each job position, directors were asked to report the number of DCFS qualified applicants, program qualified applicants (e.g., met qualifications to work in Head Start), and non-qualified applicants who had applied for advertised vacancies within the past two years. Figure 14 and Table 13 show the number of applicants who applied for each position and the percentage of applicants qualified (either DCFS or program qualified) for the position as reported by the 544 center directors participating in the survey. Comparing these results from those of the 2021 survey, the percentage of non-qualified applicants for all positions increased while the percentage of qualified applicants for all positions decreased. In FY 2023, 30.5 percent of early childhood teacher applicants were DCFS-qualified, down from 35.8 percent in 2021. The number of qualified assistant teacher decreased from 58.9 percent in 2021 to 42.1 percent in this report.

Table 13. Percentage of Applicants by Position and Qualifications

Qualification Status	Admin. Director	Director/Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School-Age Assistant
DCFS-qualified applicants	25.20%	20.60%	30.50%	42.10%	35.30%	37.10%
Program-qualified applicants	6.10%	3.90%	6.20%	12.10%	9.80%	14.90%
Non-qualified applicants	68.70%	75.50%	63.30%	45.80%	54.90%	48.00%
Total applicants	846	1,379	6,540	10,123	977	525

Figure and Table should be read: "36.2 percent of applicants for administrative director openings were DCFS-qualified."

To document the length of time needed to fill vacant positions, directors were asked to respond to a four-point rating scale of 1 ("Less than one week") to 4 ("More than four weeks"). Directors most often reported that all positions took more than 4 weeks to fill: administrative director (mean = 3.4; n = 92), director/teacher (mean = 3.5; n = 128), early childhood teacher (mean = 3.6; n = 334); early childhood assistant (mean = 3.3; n = 330), school-age worker (mean = 3.4; n = 68), and school-age assistant (mean = 3.4; n = 59).

Directors were also asked, "Has the length of time to fill a vacancy changed over the last two years?" For each staff category, directors were asked to rate any change using a five-point scale. The mean rating directors reported are as follows: 4.3 (n = 107) for administrative directors; 4.4 (n = 164) for director/teachers; 4.5 (n = 323) for early childhood teachers; 4.4 (n = 315) for early childhood assistants; 4.3 (n = 108) for school-age workers; and, 4.2 (n = 94) for school-age assistants. While many directors reported that the time to fill a vacancy has stayed the same over the last two years, the majority of directors reported that the time to fill a vacancy for all positions has actually increased by more than 2 weeks compared to just a couple of years ago.

Directors reported on the ease or difficulty of filling vacancies within the past two years on a five-point rating scale. Their responses are reflected in Table 14.

Table 14. Mean Rating1 of Difficulty in Filling Program Staff by Position

Admin. Director	Director/Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School-Age Assistant
4.6	4.7	4.7	4.4	4.5	4.5
(n = 126)	(n = 177)	(n = 343)	(n = 333)	(n = 116)	(n = 102)

1. Scale: 1 = "Very easy"; 2 = "Somewhat easy"; 3 = "Neither easy nor difficult"; 4 = "Somewhat difficult"; 5 = "Very difficult

Many center directors expressed their concerns with the difficulties they have had finding qualified staff to work in their centers.

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"Some feel qualifications are too high for the amount of pay, hours too long, and work too taxing on body."

"The largest problem that we encounter is that applicants want to be in the field, and don't mind the compensation, but cannot meet some of the DCFS requirements for the position that they would like." I have had retired elementary teachers that have 30 plus years' experience that are not qualified to substitute teach as a teacher at the center. This would far and away be our biggest challenge."

"Trying to find and hire qualified staffing is tremendously difficult. Currently, my facility is functioning at a bare minimum staff ratio. I have had a few qualified people to apply and was given an opportunity to work, but after a couple of weeks they quit. One young lady that was hired, lasted six months and ending up leaving because she was offered better benefits than what she currently had […] Another important issue which all providers including myself is being able to provide a health benefit package. The two things which prospective employees always mention when they are being interviewed is do we have benefits. When I say no, it is usually a deal breaker if they are truly qualified."

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Hires for Vacant Positions

Directors were asked to identify the number of hires within the last year that met, exceeded, or did not meet DCFS qualifications for their position as defined in the licensing standards. Table 15 indicates that nearly all hires at least met DCFS standards. Those least likely to do so were director/teachers or school-age assistants. Administrative directors, director/teachers and school-age workers appear to be the most likely to exceed standards as opposed to merely meeting them.

Table 15. Percentage of Hires in the Past Year Meeting, Exceeding, or Failing to Meet DCFS Qualifications

---	Met Qualifications: n	Met Qualifications: # of Hires	Met Qualifications: %	Exceeded Qualifications: n	Exceeded Qualifications: # of Hires	Exceeded Qualifications: %	Did Not Meet Qualifications: n	Did Not Meet Qualifications: # of Hires	Did Not Meet Qualifications: %
Administrative Director	61	85	53.50%	36	46	28.90%	15	28	17.60%
Director/Teacher	100	171	55.50%	51	76	24.70%	17	61	19.80%
EC Teacher	237	855	64.30%	97	272	20.50%	41	202	15.20%
EC Assistant	253	1303	78.20%	55	192	11.50%	45	172	10.30%
School-Age Worker	42	84	60.40%	12	29	20.90%	9	26	18.70%
School-Age Assistant	34	70	70.70%	6	10	10.10%	5	19	19.20%

Center directors were asked to compare the qualifications of staff hired within the past two years with the qualifications of staff hired more than two years ago and record their impressions using a five-point scale (see note in Table 16). Table 16 indicates that on average, directors appraised new hires to have similar qualifications as previous hires, which is in keeping with results from the FY 2021 and FY 2019 reports. Prior Salary and Staffing Survey data have revealed most directors to indicate that their new hires were somewhat more qualified. One explanation for this trend over the last three surveys could be that the increase of applicants who meet and exceed DCFS qualifications over the past several years are now the norm; therefore, it only appears as if the frequency of qualified applicants is stagnant.

Table 16. Perceived Changes in Qualifications of New Hires in the Past Two Years by Position

Position	n	Mean1	Median
Administrative Director	126	2.9	3.0
Director/Teacher	159	2.8	3.0
Early Childhood Teacher	315	2.7	3.0
Early Childhood Assistant	312	2.6	3.0
School-Age Worker	107	2.7	3.0
School-Age Assistant	99	2.7	3.0

1. Scale: 1 = "Much less qualified"; 2 = "Somewhat less qualified"; 3 = "Same qualifications"; 4 = "Somewhat more qualified"; 5 = "Much more qualified"

Applicants Who Identify As Male

From providing a male role model for children to helping fathers become more involved in their child's care, individuals who identify as male serve a myriad of important functions in early care and education. Directors indicated the number of individuals who identify as male applied for advertised positions within the past two years. Table 17 shows the results.

Table 17. Number of Applicants who Identify as Male for Vacant Positions in the Previous Two Years

Position	Responding Centers	Applicants who Identify as Male in Past Two Years	Proportion of Applicants who Identify as Male per Open Position
Administrative Director	84	64	7.6%
Director/Teacher	114	102	7.4%
Early Childhood Teacher	308	667	10.2%
Early Childhood Assistant	307	807	8.0%
School-Age Worker	56	34	3.5%
School-Age Assistant	36	25	4.8%
Total	--	1,699	8.3%

As Table 17 shows, the positions of early childhood teacher and early childhood assistant garnered the highest percentage of applicants who identify as male. This varies from past research which found that a higher percentage of individuals who identify as male tend to be employed in afterschool child care than in other child care arenas. Overall, the number of applicants who identify as male for all positions increased from 6.8 percent in FY 2021 to 8.3 percent as of this report.

Directors were further requested to specify the number of individuals who identify as male they had hired within the past two years. Results displayed in Table 18 indicate that at least 5 percent of individuals who identify as male who applied for each position were hired. For positions related to working with school-age children, the percent of individuals identifying as male hires out of total individuals identifying as male applicants was higher and over 20 percent. Compared to all applicants for open positions, less than one percent of administrative director, director/teacher, early childhood teacher, and early childhood assistant identified as male. Overall, roughly one percent (0.8 percent) of all new hires identified as male. The proportion of hires who identified as male per open position was generally consistent with the low percentages seen in past reports.

Table 18. Number of Applicants who Identify as Male Hired for Vacant Positions in the Previous Two Years

Position	Responding Centers	Applicants who Identify as Male Hired in Past Two Years	Percent of Hires who Identify as Male out of Total Applicants who Identify as Male	Proportion of Hires who Identify as Male per Open Position
Administrative Director	80	4	6.30%	0.50%
Director/Teacher	127	7	6.90%	0.50%
Early Childhood Teacher	276	50	7.50%	0.80%
Early Childhood Assistant	293	77	9.50%	0.80%
School-Age Worker	51	15	44.10%	1.50%
School-Age Assistant	40	5	20.00%	1.00%
Total	--	158	9.30%	0.80%

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Heather Rolfe, "Occupational Segregation Working Paper Series No. 35: Men in Childcare", National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Equal Opportunities Commission, 2005, p. 6,

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Non-English Fluency of Applicants

As expressed previously in this report, the diversity of languages spoken by children in child care centers suggests that centers have staff with which children can effectively communicate in their primary language. Directors were asked to identify primary language information for applicants and hired employees in the past two years, and the results are displayed in Table 19. Exactly 85 percent of the non-English fluent applicants applied for the position of early childhood teacher or assistant. The proportion of applicants fluent in other languages was higher for early childhood teacher and early childhood assistant than in the FY 2021 report.

Table 19. Number of Applicants Fluent in a Language Other than English who Applied for Vacant Positions in the Previous Two Years

Position	Responding Centers	Applicants Fluent in Other Language in Past 2 Years	Proportion of Applicants Fluent in Other Language in Past 2 Years
Administrative Director	84	72	8.50%
Director/Teacher	114	82	6.00%
Early Childhood Teacher	308	515	7.90%
Early Childhood Assistant	307	738	7.30%
School-Age Worker	56	37	3.80%
School-Age Assistant	36	30	5.70%
Total	--	1,474	7.20%

Directors also identified the languages spoken by primarily non-English speaking applicants:

• 138 reported applicants who were fluent in Spanish
• 19 directors reported applicants who were fluent in Polish
• 19 directors reported applicants who were fluent in Hindi/Urdu
• 16 directors reported applicants who were fluent in Arabic
• 15 reported applicants who were fluent in another language (e.g., African, Ukrainian)
• 14 directors reported applicants who were fluent in Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin
• 10 reported applicants who were fluent in Russian
• Less than ten directors reported applicants who were fluent in the following languages: French, Farsi, German, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Directors were then asked to indicate how many applicants fluent in a non-English language that had been hired as shown in Table 20. The percent of applicants fluent in other languages that were hired stayed the same as the 28.6 percent reported in FY 2021, which is still a decrease from what was reported in FY 2019. The overall proportion of applicants fluent in another language hired out of all applicants increased from 1.8 percent in FY 2021 to 2.1 percent in this report.

Table 20. Number of Applicants Fluent in a Language Other than English who Were Hired for Vacant Positions in the Previous Two Years

Position	Responding Centers	Applicants Fluent in Other Language Hired in Past Two Years	Percent of Applicants Fluent in Other Language Hired out of All Applicants Fluent in Other Language	Proportion Applicants Fluent in Other Language Hired out of All Applicants
Administrative Director	80	20	27.8%	2.4%
Director/Teacher	127	26	31.7%	1.9%
Early Childhood Teacher	276	128	24.9%	2.0%
Early Childhood Assistant	293	200	27.1%	2.0%
School-Age Worker	51	20	54.1%	2.0%
School-Age Assistant	40	28	93.3%	5.3%
Total	--	422	28.6%	2.1%

Of those directors who reported hiring applicants who were fluent in a non-English language:

• 127 directors reported hiring applicants who were fluent in Spanish
• 14 reported hiring applicants and selected "Other" language (e.g., Ukrainian, Greek)
• 13 reported hiring applicants who were fluent in Arabic
• 11 directors reported hiring applicants who were fluent in Hindi/Urdu
• 11 directors reported hiring applicants who were fluent in Polish
• Less than ten directors reported hiring individuals who were fluent the following languages: Russian, Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, French, German, and Farsi.

Attraction to Child Care Careers and Employment

In order to explore why many are disinclined to child care as a career option, directors were asked to rate a list of potential deterrents on a scale of importance from 1 ("Not Important") to 5 ("Very Important"). "Low Salaries" and "Inadequate Benefits" (both with a median of 5.0 and a mean greater than or equal to 4.5) were listed as the top two reasons that deterred people from the field of early care and education. Other reasons which yielded a mean or median of 4.0 or higher were: "Better Career Opportunities in Other Child Care Professions," "Child Care Not Seen as Professional Career", and "Child Care Not Respected as Profession." These results are consistent with previous Salary and Staffing Survey reports and are shown below in Table 21.

Table 21. Reasons Applicants Not Attracted to Employment in Child Care

Reason	Responding Centers	Mean	Median
Career Opportunities Not Known	375	3.4	3.0
Better Career Opportunities in Other Child Care Professions	377	4.2	4.0
Child Care Not Seen as Professional Career	380	4.2	4.0
Low Salaries	381	4.7	5.0
Inadequate Benefits	372	4.5	5.0
Openings Not Advertised	371	3.0	3.0
Child Care Not Respected as Profession	374	4.2	5.0

Several directors expressed concern about being able to keep qualified staff in the current environment. A few shared:

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"We are finding it incredibly difficult to compete with salaries. The Great Start Wage supplement will help some, but several teachers have been here less than a year, or work less than 15 hours a week."

"Staffing continues to be a challenge, and I don't see an easy solution in sight. I am losing my highly-qualified Head Start teachers to higher-paying/better benefitted positions in the field (school district, DCFS state-funded positions). Staff burnout and challenges with special-needs children are both growing hand-in-hand."

"Until the gap is closed between the salaries and benefits offered to teachers in elementary school and to early childhood teachers who are strongly encouraged to have the same qualifications, we will continue to struggle."

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Center Turnover

Center turnover was measured by drawing data from the statewide provider database on two separate occasions. The number of practitioners actively providing care on June 30, 2021 (June 30 represents the end of a fiscal year) was compared to the number in that same category on June 30, 2023. Table 22 displays the number of providers who are currently providing care, the number of new providers who were added to the database during 2023 and the number of providers who were active in the provider database as of June 30, 2023. As Table 22 shows, there was a decrease in both the number of center providers (Figure 15) and total licensed capacity (Figure 16) for the two-year period.

Table 22. Provider and Capacity Turnover 2021-2023: Licensed Child Care Centers

---	Centers 2021	Lost due to Centers Closing	Gained due to Centers Opening	Centers in 2023	Net Change 2021 to 2023
Active Providers	2,778	-261	237	2,754	-0.86%
Total Licensed Capacity	232,745	-17,451	21,047	236,341	1.55%

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16. INCCRRA transitioned from NACCRRAware to DTP going into FY 2020 and there was a lot of cleanup done between the two systems. Some of the loss of providers was due to that cleanup (e.g., some CCR&Rs had a program listed twice under different names).

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17. INCCRRA transitioned from NACCRRAware to DTP going into FY 2020 and there was a lot of cleanup done between the two systems. Some of the loss of providers was due to that cleanup (e.g., some CCR&Rs had a program listed twice under different names).

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Staff Demographics

In surveys prior to FY 2015, in order to assess staff demographics and understand the effects of the economy on the child care industry, directors were supplied with a supplemental worksheet and asked to complete it for all staff members who were employed either full- or part-time in an DCFS defined position (director and classroom personnel). These data were the best available information at the time. The launch of the Gateways to Opportunity Registry in July 2009 provided Illinois with a workforce data system that could answer many of these same questions. In September 2012, DCFS mandated that all licensed child care center and family child care home staff/providers join and maintain current membership in the Gateways Registry. This policy helped to ensure that nearly the entire licensed child care workforce is in the data system. For that reason, the FY 2015 report was the first where the supplemental worksheet was discontinued and administrative data from the Gateways Registry were used to provide results about staff demographics, education, and wages. This FY 2023 report continues with that same methodology.

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18. INCCRRA transitioned from NACCRRAware to DTP going into FY 2020 and there was a lot of cleanup done between the two systems. Some of the loss of providers was due to that cleanup (e.g., some CCR&Rs had a program listed twice under different names).

19. The staff worksheet requested detailed information about each employee: position, age, primary language, education, certification, age group worked with, hourly wage, hours worked per week, start date, and benefits.

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According to the Gateways Registry, there are 60,479 individuals working in licensed child care centers in Illinois and 52,214 in DCFS defined positions. Figure 17 and Table 23 show the number of child care center employees per DCFS position as a percent.

Table 23. Number and Percentage of Employees per DCFS Defined Position (n = 52,214)

Position	Employees	Percentages
Administrative Director	4,270	8.2%
Director/Teacher	1,742	3.3%
Early Childhood Teacher	22,224	42.6%
Early Childhood Assistant	23,061	44.2%
School-Age Worker	545	1.0%
School-Age Assistant	372	0.7%
Total	52,214	100.0%

Figure and Table should be read: "Of all center employees, 44.2% are Early Childhood Assistants."

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The work week was defined as 40 hours because the survey delineates a full-day as 8 hours/day.

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For the purposes of this survey full-time employment was defined as 40 hours per week and anything less was considered part-time. (Neither the Illinois Department of Labor nor the federal Fair Labor Standards Act distinguishes between part-time and full-time employees.) When completing the Gateways Registry membership form, individuals were asked to indicate the number of hours worked per week. Results indicate that overall, 64.2 percent of listed employees were defined as full-time and 35.8 percent as part-time. Figure 18 and Table 24 show the breakdown of full- and part-time employees by position.

Table 24. Percentage of Full-Time and Part-Time Employees by Position

Position	Full-Time	Part-Time	n
Administrative Director	84.0%	16.0%	3,695
Director/Teacher	71.3%	28.7%	1,560
Early Childhood Teacher	67.5%	32.5%	18,514
Early Childhood Assistant	58.2%	41.8%	20,286
School-Age Worker	44.3%	55.7%	458
School-Age Assistant	27.4%	72.6%	339
Total	64.2%	35.8%	44,852

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21. "The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not define full-time employment or part-time employment. This is a matter generally to be determined by the employer." U.S. Department of Labor

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Figure and Table should be read: "84.0 percent of administrative directors were full-time whereas 16.0 percent were part time."

Education and Credentials

Individuals report their educational achievements in the Gateways Registry and can update their record as they gain more education. In addition, they can also report credentials and certifications they have earned, such as the Professional Educator License (PEL) with an early childhood endorsement. The educational requirements necessary to be director or teacher-qualified (see Appendix C) are stipulated in the DCFS licensing standards for day care centers. In summary, directors can qualify through 64 semester hours of coursework from an accredited college or university [21 semester hours must be directly related to child care (ECE) or child development (CD)], and either a Gateways to Opportunity Level 1 Illinois Director Credential or 3 semester hours of college credit or 3 points of credential approved training in administration, leadership, or management. Similarly, early childhood teachers can either complete 60 semester or 90 quarter hours of coursework from an accredited college or university (six semester or nine quarter hours must be directly related to ECE or CD) or qualify through a combination of education and work experience. Directors of school-age programs and school-age workers are required to have coursework directly related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping, or other related fields. Table 25 shows that over 80 percent of all directors attained some level of college education. A large percent (65.2 percent) had earned their bachelor's or master's degree, which are educational milestones that exceed DCFS licensing standards. Nearly 75 percent of early childhood teachers attained some level of college education; moreover, 18.8 percent had achieved an associate degree and 42.4 percent a bachelor's degree or higher (which also exceeds licensing standards for that position). Of early childhood teachers with a bachelor's degree or higher, 6.8 percent reported having a Professional Educator License (PEL) with an early childhood endorsement.

Just over one quarter of early childhood teachers (25.1 percent) had earned a degree in early childhood education or child development (ECE/CD) . Over one quarter (28.5 percent) of early childhood assistants and nearly one quarter (24.1 percent) of school-age assistants had received education beyond a high school or GED degree.

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22. Known previously as a Type 04 (early childhood) teaching certificate, the PEL with an early childhood endorsement is granted by the Illinois State Board of Education to educators who have earned a BA degree in early childhood and passed all state exams and requirements to teach in a publicly funded program serving children birth through age eight.

23. This figure is likely under-reported as records that did not have a major listed were coded as "other" for purposes of this analysis.

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Table 25. Center Staff Educational Attainment by Position (Column Percentages)

Education Level	Admin. Director	Director/Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School-Age Assistant	All Positions
High School Diploma/GED	8.60%	6.40%	22.60%	71.40%	47.60%	75.90%	42.80%
CDA, CCP1 or Montessori credential2	0.30%	0.10%	3.50%	1.00%	1.20%	0.00%	2.00%
Some College in ECE/CD3, no degree	4.60%	4.30%	6.10%	2.00%	3.10%	1.00%	4.10%
Some College in other field, no degree	1.10%	1.30%	2.90%	3.40%	3.50%	1.70%	2.90%
Approved Community College ECE Certificate	1.90%	2.60%	3.80%	1.20%	1.60%	0.70%	2.40%
Associate's in ECE/CD	15.20%	24.30%	13.60%	3.10%	2.70%	1.00%	9.30%
Associate's in other field	3.10%	4.50%	5.20%	3.90%	5.70%	5.90%	4.40%
Bachelor's in ECE/CD	13.90%	14.50%	9.10%	0.70%	2.20%	0.00%	5.90%
Bachelor's in other field	27.60%	25.80%	24.20%	11.00%	25.90%	12.10%	18.70%
Master's in ECE/CD	9.20%	5.90%	2.40%	0.20%	1.00%	0.00%	2.10%
Master's in other field	14.50%	10.30%	6.70%	2.00%	5.50%	1.70%	5.40%
N	3,891	1,588	19,982	20,447	490	290	46,688

Table should be read, "Out of 3,891 administrative directors for whom education and credential information is available, 14.5 percent had a Master's degree in a field other than early childhood education or child development."

• 1. CDA is the acronym for Child Development Associate; CCP is the acronym for Child Care Professional
• 2. American Montessori Society or Association Montessori International
• 3. ECE is the acronym for early childhood education; CD is the acronym for child development.

There are also a number of Gateways to Opportunity Credentials that may be earned by individuals working in the field of ECE, as shown in Figure 19 and Table 26. The figure and table show that 53.6% of staff with an ECE Credential, 64.0% of staff with an Infant/Toddler Credential, and 20% of staff with an Illinois Director Credential are early childhood teachers. These credentials recognize the education, experience, and professional contributions of early childhood practitioners. Gateways Credentials are also a key component of ExceleRate Illinois, the state's Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS). The ExceleRate Circles of Quality, above the Licensed Circle, require that a percentage of personnel have achieved a Gateways Credential.

Table 26. Positions Held by Staff with Gateways Credentials

Gateways Credential	Admin. Director	Director/Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School-Age Assistant	N
ECE Credential	11.40%	5.10%	53.60%	28.90%	0.80%	0.20%	18,334
Infant/Toddler Credential	18.30%	8.80%	64.00%	8.80%	0.20%	0.00%	3,440
Illinois Director Credential	61.00%	18.00%	20.00%	1.00%	0.00%	0.00%	2,045

Note: Gateways Credentials may be earned by individuals in other settings (e.g., family child care) or by those no longer working in direct care. The "N" for this table represents only Gateways Credentials attained by individuals in these specified positions within licensed centers.

Figure and Table should be read "11.4% of staff with an ECE Credential are administrative directors."

Duration of Employment with Current Employer

In salary and staffing surveys prior to FY 2015, directors were asked to record the number of years of paid experience each staff member had in the field of early care and education. With the change to using administrative data from the Gateways Registry for staff-related data in FY 2015 and present reports, a corresponding data field is not available. The Gateways Registry does collect information on how long individuals have been employed in their current place of employment, based on capturing their start date of employment. Table 27 shows that among all child care practitioners, the average years employed by their current employer was 4.3 years (median = 1.7 years). Administrative directors have been employed in the same program for longer than early childhood teachers and school-age workers, who in turn have been employed longer than early childhood assistants and school-age assistants.

Table 27. Number of Years Employed by Current Employer

Position	Mean	Median	n	Range
Administrative Director	9.5	6.3	4,264	0.0-57.2
Director/Teacher	9.2	6.5	1,737	0.0-47.9
Early Childhood Teacher	5.1	2.8	22,198	0.0-49.9
Early Childhood Assistant	2.2	1	22,998	0.0-47.8
School-Age Worker	3.9	1.7	544	0.0-47.5
School-Age Assistant	2	1	358	0.0-19.7
Total	4.3	1.7	52,099	0.0-57.2

Salary and Wages

Salary Scale

As part of the main survey instrument (online and paper), directors were asked "Do you have a salary scale that you share with your staff?" Of the 471 directors who responded to this item, 53.9 percent (n = 254) indicated that they did. When asked how salary scales were differentiated, also depicted in Figure 20:

• 70.7 percent (n = 333) of 471 respondents reported a salary scale differentiated by level of education,
• 64.5 percent (n = 304) of 471 respondents reported a salary scale differentiated by level of experience,
• 38.4 percent (n = 181) of 471 respondents reported a salary scale differentiated by attainment of an industry-recognized credential (other than a Gateways Credential), such as a CDA or professional educator license (PEL),
• 36.1 percent (n = 170) of 471 respondents reported a salary scale differentiated by attainment of a Gateways Credential,
• 16.3 percent (n = 77) of 471 respondents reported a salary scale differentiated by additional or supplemental training, and
• 6.2 percent (n = 29) of 471 respondents reported a salary scale differentiated on some other basis. Other Salary scales were based on length of employment/years of service, union contracts, pay grades set by campus/college human resources, job title/position description, minimum wage, responsibility, performance, and seniority.

Hourly Wage by Position

As part of the Gateways Registry, individuals have the option to report their hourly wages and/or annual salary with their employment data. The average hourly wage for all employees (n = 36,752 employees) was $16.69 (median = $15.35) (F = 1920.20, p < .001). Table 28 depicts hourly wages by position. Reports prior to FY 2015 also collected wage data, but it was provided by the director completing the survey on behalf of their staff. Caution should be exercised if comparing data from reports from FY 2015 forward.

Table 28. Mean and Median Hourly Wage by Position

Position	Mean	Median	n
Admin. Director	$24.67	$21.00	2,592
Director/Teacher	$20.11	$18.00	1,221
Early Childhood Teacher	$17.47	$16.50	15,456
Early Childhood Assistant	$14.54	$14.12	16,846
School-Age Worker	$15.91	$15.00	361
School-Age Assistant	$14.21	$14.00	276

Table 28 also indicates that early childhood assistants and school-age assistants received lower wages than staff in other positions. Typically, these are positions in early childhood that require less education and experience to enter and yield compensation to match. The median hourly wages earned by early childhood assistants and school-age assistants were $14.12 and $14.00 respectively (the minimum wage in Illinois was $13.00 in 2023).

Comparison of Hourly Wages from FY 2013-FY 2023

In Figure 21, the mean hourly wages for the positions of director/teacher, early childhood teacher, and early childhood assistant are compared over time. These figures have not been adjusted for inflation. The average hourly wage for administrative directors and early childhood teachers and assistants saw an increase compared to the wages in FY 2019 and FY 2021. The average hourly wages for all positions have steadily increased. As far as the consumer price index goes, wages of early childhood teachers and assistants have exceeded inflation while the wages of administrative directors have not. Administrative directors would need to earn $26.25 per hour, early childhood teachers $16.42 per hour, and early childhood assistants $13.15 per hour in 2023 to have the same buying power as $20.06, $12.55, and $10.05 had back in 2013. Child care center staff wages have generally not kept up with inflation, however hourly wages for early childhood teachers and early childhood assistants have grown faster than inflation in recent years.

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24. "Minimum Wage Law", Illinois Department of Labor, http://www.illinois.gov/idol/Laws-Rules/FLS/Pages/ minimum-wage-law.aspx

25. The decrease in hourly wage compared to 2013 may be attributed to the fact that from 2015 forward analysis has been based on administrative data from the Gateways Registry, which is a considerably larger population than what was represented by previous surveys. In addition, the 2015 report had those in the role of "director/teacher" grouped in with administrative directors, which may have artificially lowered the wages.

26. CPI Inflation Calculator:

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The salary data from the Gateways Registry can be compared to the most current Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Although the data may not be strictly comparable, especially as national data may include school-based positions, the national figures provide some context for interpreting the hourly wage of child care personnel in Illinois.

Three categories are primarily used by the BLS to include various child care positions. The categories are listed below, along with the descriptions provided on the BLS website. The mean and median hourly wages specified by the BLS are also included, followed in parenthesis by the mean and median hourly wages from Table 28.

Category 1 (11-9031): Education Administrators, Preschool and Child Care Center/Program. Description of position: "Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic and non-academic activities of preschool and child care centers or programs." As of May 2022, the mean hourly wage for this position was $25.20 and the median was $23.26 (Illinois' mean and median wages are lower: mean = $24.67; median = $21.00).

Category 2 (25-2011): Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education. Description of position: "Instruct preschool-aged children in activities designated to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth needed for primary school in preschool, day care center, or other child development facility." As of May 2022, the mean hourly wage for a preschool teacher was $18.02 and the median was $17.02 (Illinois' mean and median wages are lower: mean = $17.47; median = $16.50).

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27. From "May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates: Illinois", Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Depending on the responsibilities of an assistant teacher, the position could fall under either the BLS category of Teacher Assistants or Child Care Workers.

Category 3 (25-9045): Teacher Assistants. Description of position: "Perform duties that are instructional in nature… and serve in a position for which a teacher has ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services." As of May 2022, the mean hourly wage for an assistant teacher was $16.38.

Category 4 (39-9011): Child Care Workers. Description of position: "Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and child care institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play." As of May 2022, the mean hourly wage for a child care worker was $14.86 and the median was $13.84 (Illinois' mean and median wages are roughly equivalent: mean = $14.45; median = $14.12).

Hourly Wage by Full- Versus Part-Time Status

When we aggregate across all staff positions with wage data available (n = 36,752 employees), hourly wages are higher for full-time compared to part-time employees. Full-time employees averaged $17.18 per hour compared to $15.74 per hour for part-time staff. The median hourly wage for full-time staff was $16.00 and part-time staff was $15.00 per hour (F = 503.78, p < .001). Table 29 shows the breakdown of hourly wages by position and employment status. The findings across all positions show that staff make more per hour when employed on a full-time versus part-time basis.

Table 29. Hourly Wages by Position by Full- vs. Part-Time Status

---	Full-Time Mean	Full-Time Median	Full-Time n	Part-Time Mean	Part-Time Median	Part-Time n
Administrative Director	$25.22	$21.50	2,095	$21.78	$19.00	438
Director/Teacher	$20.39	$18.25	853	$19.45	$17.00	355
Teacher	$17.60	$16.50	10,235	$17.06	$16.00	4,891
Assistant Teacher	$14.70	$14.50	9,563	$14.29	$14.00	6,876
School-Age Worker	$16.90	$15.35	151	$15.07	$15.00	196
School-Age Assistant	$14.84	$14.69	77	$13.92	$14.00	191

Staff Experience and Education

Table 30 (n = 36,686; F = 6.44, p < .001) reveals that higher wages accompany increased years of employment with the same employer. Table 31 shows wages typically increase as level of education increases, aligned with reports from the majority of directors that they use a wage scale that considers years of experience and education.

Table 30. Hourly Wages by Years Employed with Current Employer by Position (n = 36,686)

Years Employed	Admin. Director	Director/ Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School- Age Worker	School-Age Assistant
0-2 Years Mean	$24.55	$19.67	$17.28	$14.42	$16.09	$14.14
0-2 Years Median	$20.17	$18.00	$16.35	$14.00	$15.00	$14.00
n	920	357	8,220	13,946	244	219
3-5 Years Mean	$26.09	$19.80	$17.23	$14.78	$14.96	$14.36
3-5 Years Median	$21.15	$18.00	$16	$14.41	$15.00	$14.59
n	483	260	3,348	1,730	62	36
6-9 Years Mean	$24.26	$18.71	$17.65	$15.64	$17.96	$13.38
6-9 Years Median	$21.00	$17.00	$16.50	$15.00	$15.00	$12.00
n	422	210	1,808	608	24	8
10-15 Years Mean	$23.02	$20.74	$18.09	$15.44	$14.46	$17.32
10-15 Years Median	$20.00	$18.50	$17.00	$15.00	$13.75	$15.60
n	337	182	1,061	278	10	8
16-20 Years Mean	$24.63	$21.04	$18.48	$15.70	$14.97	-
16-20 Years Median	$21.20	$19.50	$17.32	$15.11	$15.00	-
n	168	85	472	134	13	-
21 +Years Mean	$25.40	$22.81	$19.28	$16.78	$14.76	-
21+ Years Median	$22.44	$20.00	$18.00	$16.00	$13.35	-
n	259	124	529	114	7	-

Note: Statistics for which there were fewer than three observations were deleted.

Table 31. Hourly Wages by Education by Position (n = 32,953)

Level of Education	Admin. Director	Director/ Teacher	Early Childhood Teacher	Early Childhood Assistant	School-Age Worker	School -Age Assistant	All Positions
High School/ GED Mean	$18.74	$17.72	$15.61	$14.08	$15.11	$14.03	$14.52
High School/ GED Median	$16.00	$16.00	$15.00	$14.00	$15.00	$14.00	$14.00
n	225	80	3,193	10,794	153	168	14,613
Child Development Associate Mean	$23.07	-	$16.05	$15.29	$23.63	-	$16.00
Child Development Associate Median	$20.00	-	$16.00	$15.00	$15.75	-	$15.75
n	5	-	494	135	4	-	639
Some College in ECE/CD, no degree Mean	$21.55	$18.05	$16.29	$15.16	$15.58	-	$16.60
Some College in ECE/CD, no degree Median	$20.00	$17.00	$16.00	$15.00	$15.05	-	$16.00
n	123	52	804	297	10	-	1,286
Some College in other field, no degree Mean	$20.36	$15.84	$16.05	$14.43	$17.62	$14.58	$15.31
Some College in other field, no degree Median	$18.00	$15.50	$15.55	$14.00	$15.00	$15.00	$15.00
n	29	16	385	526	11	3	970
Approved Community College ECE Certificate Mean	$24.79	$17.15	$16.56	$15.45	$15.56	-	$16.90
Approved Community College ECE Certificate Median	$19.55	$16.00	$16.00	$15.00	$14.95	-	$16.00
n	54	31	540	169	4	-	800
Associate's in ECE/CD Mean	$21.58	$18.86	$17.17	$17.38	$14.36	-	$17.93
Associate's in ECE/CD Median	$19.53	$17.50	$17.00	$17.16	$14.15	-	$17.14
n	422	291	2,021	437	6	-	3,179
Associate's in other field Mean	$22.24	$17.89	$16.26	$14.89	$14.08	$14.88	$16.10
Associate's in other field Median	$20.00	$16.50	$16.00	$15.00	$14.25	$15.50	$15.50
n	87	48	772	563	23	15	1,508
Bachelor's in ECE/CD Mean	$27.56	$21.55	$20.82	$17.13	$15.33	-	$21.93
Bachelor's in ECE/CD Median	$23.00	$19.95	$18.83	$16.44	$15.00	-	$19.48
n	327	151	1,175	94	3	-	1,750
Bachelor's in other field Mean	$25.98	$20.71	$18.53	$16.13	$17.22	$15.93	$18.71
Bachelor's in other field Median	$22.00	$18.44	$17.00	$15.50	$15.97	$15.00	$17.00
n	632	279	3,360	1,684	88	28	6,071
Master's in ECE/CD Mean	$30.78	$27.05	$24.70	$17.42	-	-	$26.39
Master's in ECE/CD Median	$27.08	$21.63	$21.10	$17.14	-	-	$22.00
n	166	45	284	29	-	-	526
Master's in other field Mean	$28.62	$24.59	$20.05	$16.24	$18.29	$13.70	$21.10
Master's in other field Median	$25.00	$20.00	$18.00	$15.75	$16.68	$13.00	$18.00
n	279	108	905	294	20	5	1,611

Note: Statistics for which there were fewer than three observations were deleted.

Just as Table 30 demonstrates a logical pattern between hourly wage and number of years employed at the same program (generally, the longer one is employed at a site, the more one will get paid), Table 31 displays the logical pattern between hourly wage and education. Specifically, increased education and experience typically lead to higher hourly wages. In Table 31 (n = 32,953; F = 774.49, p < .001), educational levels are defined by degree earned and the major field of study. For early childhood teachers and assistant teachers, those who hold a degree (associate, bachelor's, master's) in early childhood education (ECE) or child development (CD) earn significantly more than those who hold the same degree but in another field or major (p < .05).

Center Characteristics and Hourly Wage

Using administrative data on program quality from the DTP, variables were created to indicate the national accreditation and ExceleRate Illinois rating status of licensed child care center programs with staff in the Gateways Registry. These variables were examined in combination with wage data to determine whether there were any significant differences in wages between participating and non-participating programs.

Accredited centers could hold accreditation from one of several early care and education associations: the National Association for the Education of Young Children Accreditation, the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, the Association for Early Learning Leaders, and the Council of Accreditation for School-Age Care. A center was considered accredited if they had one or more of the former accreditations. Table 32 demonstrates that, overall, without regard to position, there was a significant difference in the wages paid by accredited versus non-accredited centers. Accredited centers paid staff significantly more (mean = $17.34; median = $15.96) than non-accredited centers (mean = $16.48; median = $15.01) (F = 140.84, p < .001).

Table 32. Hourly Wages by Position by Accreditation Status

--	Not Accredited Mean	Not Accredited	Not Accredited	Accredited	Accredited	Accredited n
--	--	Median	n	Mean	Median	--
Administrative Director	$23.80	$20.00	2,104	$28.43	$23.07	488
Director/Teacher	$19.70	$18.00	1,099	$23.84	$20.05	122
Early Childhood Teacher	$17.11	$16.00	11,672	$18.57	$17.00	3,784
Early Childhood Assistant	$14.47	$14.00	12,705	$14.78	$14.25	4,141
School-Age Worker	$15.64	$15.00	271	$16.71	$15.48	90
School-Age Assistant	$14.06	$14.00	214	$14.74	$14.15	62

The ExceleRate Illinois QRIS recognizes program quality achievements of child care providers. The system has Circles of Quality which providers can achieve by meeting required criteria for each circle. Licensed child care centers who have earned the Gold Circle of Quality have reached the highest level of ExceleRate. Hourly wage and position of employees in the Gateways Registry were compared to the level of ExceleRate participation the employee's center had reached. The comparisons can be seen in Figure 22 and Table 33.

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29. See the ExceleRateIllinois website for more information

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Table 33. Hourly Wages by Position by ExceleRate Illinois Participation Status (n = 32,195)

---	Administrative Director Mean	Administrative Director Median	Administrative Director n	Director/Teacher Mean	Director/Teacher Median	Director/Teacher n	Early Childhood Teacher Mean	Early Childhood Teacher Median	Early Childhood Teacher n	Early Childhood Assistant Mean	Early Childhood Assistant Median	Early Childhood Assistant n
Licensed	$24.50	$20.67	1,855	$19.88	$17.85	903	$17.26	$16.30	10,383	$14.54	$14.25	11,457
Bronze	$21.42	$19.42	34	$19.54	$19.22	27	$16.77	$16.00	252	$14.02	$14.00	272
Silver	$23.09	$21.00	181	$20.20	$19.60	73	$16.76	$16.25	1,383	$13.86	$13.25	1,268
Gold	$27.93	$23.00	192	$23.51	$20.50	59	$18.99	$17.13	1,795	$14.80	$14.15	2,061

As shown in Figure 22, there was an overall significant difference in the wages paid by ExceleRate participating licensed child care centers based on level of quality (F = 36.74, p < .001), with wages being highest in programs with a Gold Circle of Quality. It was noted that geographic regions of the centers might drive some higher Circles of Quality to have lower average salaries than lower Circles of Quality. For instance, 34.0 percent of centers with Licensed Circle of Quality are in Northern Illinois and only 12.5 percent are in Central Illinois, whereas 34.1 percent of centers with the Silver Circle of Quality are in Northern Illinois and 31.0 percent are in Central Illinois.

When aggregating across all employees and investigating hourly wages by legal status, non-profit programs paid a significantly higher mean hourly wage than for-profit programs. Across all employees, non-profit staff averaged $16.89 (median = $15.48) per hour as compared to for-profit staff who averaged $15.81 per hour (median = $15.00) (F = 69.92, p < .001). Table 34 depicts hourly wage by position and legal status (for profit vs. non-profit) which indicates that mean hourly rates are higher in non-profit programs for all positions except for school-age assistant; however, when using the median, hourly rates are only higher in non-profit programs for administrative directors, director/teachers, and early childhood teachers.

Table 34. Hourly Wages by Position by Center Profit Status (n = 7,435)

---	For Profit Mean	For Profit Median	For Profit n	Not For Profit Mean	Not For Profit Median	Not For Profit n
Administrative Director	$22.83	$20.00	336	$25.87	$22.39	204
Director/Teacher	$18.42	$17.00	125	$20.74	$18.31	84
Early Childhood Teacher	$16.47	$16.00	1,870	$17.49	$16.31	1,263
Early Childhood Assistant	$14.16	$14.00	2,307	$14.44	$14.00	1,135
School-Age Worker	$15.30	$15.00	25	$15.96	$15.00	26
School-Age Assistant	$13.49	$13.00	30	$13.48	$13.00	30

One of the primary functions of the survey is to calculate the mean and median hourly wage by region. CCR&R Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) are used here to define the word "region." The mean and median hourly wages earned by all DCFS defined positions by SDA are presented in Table 35.

Table 35. Hourly Wages by Position by Service Delivery Area (SDA) (n = 36,748)

---	Position	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---	---
---	Administrative Director	---	---	Director/Teacher	---	---	Early Childhood Teacher	---	---	Early Childhood Assistant	---	---	School-Age Worker	---	---	School-Age Assistant	---	---
---	Mean	Median	n	Mean	Median	n	Mean	Median	n	Mean	Median	n	Mean	Median	n	Mean	Median	n
1. Rockford	$21.02	$19.50	55	$21.41	$19.41	14	$16.16	$15.50	292	$13.23	$13.00	277	$13.30	$13.25	6	$13.08	$13.00	5
2. DeKalb	$23.36	$20.16	93	$20.69	$19.00	45	$15.70	$15.50	635	$13.64	$13.39	644	$14.58	$15.00	6	$13.29	$13.00	9
4. Addison	$26.34	$21.79	459	$22.02	$19.50	171	$17.59	$17.00	3,034	$14.50	$14.05	2,759	$15.41	$15.00	46	$14.56	$14.50	31
5. Joliet	$24.27	$21.00	208	$18.92	$17.73	102	$16.46	$16.00	1,245	$13.94	$13.66	1342	$14.62	$13.63	24	$12.54	$12.00	14
6. Chicago	$26.12	$22.00	1,168	$20.95	$18.50	550	$18.98	$17.50	6,530	$15.71	$15.25	7,311	$17.48	$16.00	192	$15.13	$15.00	151
7. Moline	$20.38	$18.78	40	$18.26	$16.00	25	$15.13	$15.00	338	$12.79	$12.75	348	$11.70	$11.00	5	$12.50	$12.00	11
8. Peoria	$22.03	$20.00	94	$17.93	$17.00	45	$15.27	$15.00	643	$12.90	$13.00	695	$13.30	$12.50	22	$12.38	$12.00	6
9. Bloomington	$23.07	$20.19	41	$16.28	$15.75	17	$16.02	$15.00	238	$12.91	$13.00	401	$13.46	$13.00	7	$12.43	$12.00	16
10. Urbana	$22.98	$20.00	85	$19.70	$17.00	30	$16.29	$15.00	500	$13.53	$13.25	593	$13.61	$12.50	7	$13.08	$12.00	6
11. Charleston	$22.53	$21.00	17	$18.40	$18.00	11	$14.71	$14.30	143	$13.40	$13.00	127	13.25	13	5	-	-	-
12. Quincy	$21.66	$19.08	22	$21.07	$17.44	6	$15.96	$15.52	160	$13.52	$13.00	120	$13.46	$12.50	3	$12.60	$12.00	5
13. Springfield	$19.72	$17.53	70	$17.99	$16.50	45	$15.22	$14.75	385	$13.00	$12.75	487	$13.49	$13.50	9	$12.42	$12.50	9
14. Granite City	$20.19	$18.10	137	$17.52	$15.50	99	$15.43	$15.00	762	$13.01	$13.00	1051	$13.53	$12.75	16	$12.36	$12.00	9
15. Mt Vernon	$20.77	$18.61	45	$17.95	$16.00	31	$15.16	$15.00	264	$13.39	$13.00	315	$12.90	$12.50	4	-	-	-
16. Carterville	$21.48	$18.10	59	$18.16	$17.00	29	$15.22	$14.75	284	$12.97	$12.50	376	$13.68	$13.00	9	-	-	-

Note: Statistics for which there were fewer than three observations were deleted. Also, it should be noted that the Illinois minimum wage as of Jan 1, 2023 was $13, up from $12 in 2022. Any wages noted below this level may be the result of a lag in wage updates on the Gateways to Opportunity Registry.

1. SDAs 3 and 4 were combined for this report.

Several directors commented about the inadequate salaries offered to child care personnel:

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"Pay for all ECE educators should be higher and comparable to public school. Many of our staff if not all have at least a bachelor's degree in ECE or related field and or a master's in ECE and struggle to get honorable pay. Many are leaving this field not because they want to but they cannot afford to work it anymore."

"Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic I have always felt that the Childcare Industry has always been underpaid. We work very long hours pouring into the lives of the children, our future. Most don't realize that childcare workers do more than provide a service to children […] We are far more than what we sign up for and receive the lowest compensation for our work and have the hardest time getting paid."

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Benefits

Directors were asked about the types of benefits available to their employees. Beginning with FY 2017, the survey included an expanded list of benefits to get a more complete picture of what is offered in licensed center-based settings. In addition, the question was asked regarding benefits offered to full-time staff vs. part-time staff. As Table 36 shows, over 90 percent of responding centers offered paid personal/vacation days, and paid holidays to full-time employees. Additionally, over 80% offered paid sick days. In terms of wage increases, 80.5 percent of centers offered periodic increases in wages based on educational attainment and 78.1 percent offered performance-based increases, while 70.9 percent offered yearly cost-of-living increases. Just over three-quarters offered reduced fee child care to their employees while only one-quarter offered free child care. Close to 80 percent offered payment or reimbursement for educational or training expenses. While over half of the responding centers offer health insurance and retirement plans/pensions, less than half offer dental, disability, or life insurance to full-time staff. Table 37 shows the benefits offered to part-time staff.

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31. Professionalizing the early childhood field and workforce is supported by various state initiatives. Center-paid educational stipends help staff meet their DCFS requirement of 15 training hours per calendar year as well as assist centers to meet qualifications for an ExceleRate Circle of Quality. Some educational opportunities can be reimbursed through Professional Development and Improvement Funds. Money is also available through the Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program to help child care practitioners meet their educational goals.

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Table 36. Benefits Offered to Full-Time Staff

Benefit	Programs Responding	Programs Offering Benefit	% Programs Offering Benefit
Paid Personal/Vacation Days	413	394	95.4%
Written Personnel Policies Available to Employee	400	380	95.0%
Paid Holidays	416	391	94.0%
Annual Performance Evaluation	393	347	88.3%
Paid Sick Days	397	334	84.1%
Secure Place for Teachers' Belongings	397	328	82.6%
Payment/Reimbursement for Educational or Training Expenses	390	315	80.8%
Wage Increase for Educational Advance	389	313	80.5%
Separate Staff Area for Breaks, Lunch, Staff Resources	395	316	80.0%
Performance-Based Wage Increases	401	313	78.1%
Reduced Child Care Fees	390	299	76.7%
Paid Time Off for Trainings	391	289	73.9%
Cost-of-Living Wage Increases	392	278	70.9%
Wage Increase for Credential Attainment	391	275	70.3%
Retirement or Pension Plan	381	211	55.4%
Health Insurance	379	208	54.9%
Formal Mentoring/Coaching	370	187	50.5%
Dental Insurance	371	182	49.1%
Life Insurance	371	166	44.7%
Disability Insurance	367	152	41.4%
Free Child Care	380	110	28.9%

Table 37. Benefits Offered to Part-Time Staff

Benefit	Programs Responding	Programs Offering Benefit	% Programs Offering Benefit
Written Personnel Policies Available to Employee	386	341	88.3%
Annual Performance Evaluation	381	312	81.9%
Secure Place for Teachers' Belongings	378	289	76.5%
Separate Staff Area for Breaks, Lunch, Staff Resources	375	284	75.7%
Wage Increase for Educational Advance	380	282	74.2%
Performance-Based Wage Increases	377	258	68.4%
Payment/Reimbursement for Educational or Training Expenses	369	238	64.5%
Cost-of-Living Wage Increases	373	240	64.3%
Wage Increase for Credential Attainment	375	238	63.5%
Reduced Child Care Fees	386	228	59.1%
Paid Time Off for Trainings	371	202	54.4%
Paid Personal/Vacation Days	376	197	52.4%
Paid Holidays	376	190	50.5%
Formal Mentoring/Coaching	365	175	47.9%
Paid Sick Days	368	167	45.4%
Retirement or Pension Plan	359	90	25.1%
Free Child Care	360	61	16.9%
Life Insurance	351	55	15.7%
Disability Insurance	352	54	15.3%
Dental Insurance	353	43	12.2%
Health Insurance	359	36	10.1%

Many directors commented on the difficulty providing benefits to their employees. Two examples are listed below:

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"Most centers offer insurance but the wages are so low that most staff cannot afford the insurance benefits. It seems like a joke."

"When a person starts school for child care they usually end up going to the public school systems because of benefits."

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Profile of Family Child Care Home Providers: Key Findings

A total of 5,741 DCFS licensed family child care and group providers were invited to complete the FY 2023 Salary and Staffing Survey. A total of 1,035 surveys (for a response rate of 18.0 percent) were completed: 985 surveys were completed online; 50 were completed in the form of a paper document. Table 38 presents the response rates by CCR&R service delivery area (SDA) (see Appendix B).

There may be a discrepancy in the number of responses for each question because not all respondents answered every question. An "n" will be used to signify the number of responses to an item.

Completed Surveys

Table 38. Survey Return Rates by Service Delivery Area: Licensed Family Child Care Homes

Service Delivery Area	CCR&R Main Office Location	Providers	Surveys Completed	Percentage of Surveys Completed
SDA 1	Rockford	312	46	14.70%
SDA 2	DeKalb	220	38	17.30%
SDA 4	Addison	671	153	22.80%
SDA 5	Joliet	287	44	15.30%
SDA 6	Chicago	2,427	444	18.30%
SDA 7	Moline	226	43	19.00%
SDA 8	Peoria	141	27	19.10%
SDA 9	Bloomington	119	19	16.00%
SDA 10	Urbana	368	47	12.80%
SDA 11	Charleston	59	17	28.80%
SDA 12	Quincy	187	26	13.90%
SDA 13	Springfield	225	39	17.30%
SDA 14	Granite City	272	58	21.30%
SDA 15	Mt. Vernon	140	22	15.70%
SDA 16	Carterville	87	12	13.80%
Totals	---	5,741	1,035	18.00%

Demographics

Gender

Nearly all of the family child care practitioners who completed this item on the survey identified as female (98.5 percent; 883 of 896 respondents).

Age

Family child care practitioners were asked to identify their age. As seen in Figure 23 and Table 39, the preponderance of respondents were 30 years or older. The most frequently reported range of age was 50-59 years. The least frequently reported range of age was 20-29 years of age and was followed by the age range of 30-39 years. No respondents were under 20 years of age. The category "60 years or over" accounted for 31.6 percent of all respondents.

Table 39. Respondents' Age (n = 896)

Age Range*	n	Percentage
20-29 years	13	1.5%
30-39 years	75	8.4%
40-49 years	171	19.1%
50-59 years	354	39.5%
60 years or over	283	31.6%

*The question asked was "How old are you?"

Ethnicity

Practitioners were asked to self-identify their race/ethnicity. As Figure 24 and Table 40 display, 37.9 percent of family child care providers self-identified as "African American/Black", 32.8 percent as "Caucasian/White", and 26.3 percent self-identified as "Hispanic/Latino." No respondents were Native American. When compared to population data in Illinois, African Americans/Blacks are over-represented among licensed family child care home practitioners.

Table 40. Respondents' Race/Ethnicity (n = 892)

Race/Ethnicity	n	Percentage
African American	338	37.9%
Caucasian/White	293	32.8%
Hispanic/Latino	235	26.3%
Other	11	1.2%
Asian/Pacific Islander	8	0.9%
Multi-Racial	7	0.8%

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32. According to 2022 data from the Census Bureau https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/IL,US# , 14.7 percent of the state population self-identified race/ethnicity as African American and 18.3 percent of the state population self-identified race/ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino.

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Respondents were also asked to identify their primary language. The majority of respondents (74.9 percent; n = 670 of n = 895) indicated that their primary language was English. As to the extent of other primary languages reported for the 25.1 percent of providers who have a primary language other than English, the primary language spoken was Spanish. Of all 895 reporting providers, 23.0 percent (n = 206) indicated their primary language was Spanish, and 1.9 percent (n = 17) indicated their primary language was another language. The additional languages providers listed included Polish, Hindu/Urdu, German, Arabic, Yoruba, Urdu, and French.

Experience

As a way of capturing longevity in family child care, practitioners were asked the length of time they had been paid to provide child care in their homes. The average length of time reported by providers was 17.5 years (n = 886; median = 17.00 years; range = 1 to 53 years).

There is often movement within the field of child care; therefore, practitioners were asked whether they were previously employed in other child care and education settings (i.e., child care center or public school). Out of the 891 responding practitioners, 27.7 percent (n = 247) had worked in another child care and education setting for an average of 8.3 years (median = 6.0 years; range = 1 to 50 years).

Education

For the analysis on the highest level of education held by family child care providers, administrative data were pulled from the Gateways to Opportunity Registry at the time when the survey was administered. Figure 25 and Table 41 display the frequency of educational attainment by the licensed family child care providers active in the Gateways Registry as of March 1, 2023. (When referring to Figure 25, please note: ECE = Early Childhood Education and CD = Child Development.)

Table 41. Education Level of Licensed Family Child Care Providers (n = 5,755)

Educational Level	n	Percentage
High School Diploma/GED	3,012	52.3%
Child Development Associate	99	1.7%
Some college in ECE/CD*, no degree	200	3.5%
Some college in other field, no degree	313	5.4%
Approved Community College ECE Certificate	168	2.9%
Associate's in ECE/CD	553	9.6%
Associate's in other field	317	5.5%
Bachelor's in ECE/CD	151	2.6%
Bachelor's in other field	651	11.3%
Master's or higher in ECE/CD	73	1.3%
Master's or higher in other field	218	3.8%

*ECE is the acronym for Early Childhood Education; CD is the acronym for Child Development.

After January 1, 2011, all new licensed family child care providers were required to have proof of a high school diploma or an equivalent certificate. This mandate is waived for family child care providers already licensed prior to the first day of 2011. Less than half of respondents reported an education level beyond a high school diploma or GED; 15.1 percent reported they had an Associate's degree, 13.9 percent indicated they had a Bachelor's degree, and 5.1 percent indicated that they had a Master's degree or higher. Out of the 10,813 family child care providers in the dataset, 0.4 percent reported to the Gateways Registry that they had earned their Professional Educator License (PEL) with an early childhood endorsement.

Accreditation and ExceleRate Illinois Status

Utilizing information from DTP, variables were created to indicate the accreditation and ExceleRate Illinois status of family child care home providers who participated in the Salary and Staffing Survey. In FY 2023, 5.0 percent (n = 52) of family child care providers responding to the Salary and Staffing Survey were accredited through the National Association for Family Child Care Providers (NAFCC), the primary national accrediting body for family child care homes.

In addition, all of the 1,035 responding family child care providers participated in ExceleRate Illinois. As shown in Figure 26 below, the Circles of Quality represented by survey respondents were:

• 89.5 percent (n = 926) were at the Licensed Circle of Quality
• 6.4 percent (n= 66) were at the Bronze Circle of Quality
• 3.6 percent (n = 37) were at the Silver Circle of Quality
• 0.6 percent (n = 6) were at the Gold Circle of Quality

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33. Known previously as a Type 04 (early childhood) teaching certificate, the PEL with an early childhood endorsement is granted by the Illinois State Board of Education to educators who have earned a BA degree in early childhood and passed all state exams and requirements to teach in a publicly funded program serving children birth through age eight.

34. Per the online search tool at http://www.nafcc.org , there are 1,029 NAFCC Accredited providers and 144 (12.9 percent) are from Illinois.

According to the survey sample, participation in ExceleRate at a level higher than the Licensed Circle of Quality was significantly associated with achievement of NAFCC Accreditation (p < .001, Fisher's exact test) such that 7.6 percent of non-accredited providers were also participating in ExceleRate at a level higher than the Licensed Circle of Quality whereas 65.4 percent of NAFCC accredited providers were participating in ExceleRate at a level higher than the Licensed Circle of Quality.

Demographics of Children Served

Providers were asked to report upon the demographics of the children and families they serve. They were asked to estimate the number of children from each ethnic group and the number of second language learners in their care. Table 42 presents the mean proportions of children from each ethnic group reported by respondents.

Table 42. Descriptives of Children Served by Race/Ethnicity (n = 9,186)

Child Race/Ethnicity	n	Mean	Median	Range*
African American/Black	9,186	59.3%	73.9%	0-100%
Asian/Pacific Islander	9,186	5.5%	0.0%	0-100%
Caucasian/White	9,186	60.2%	71.4%	0-100%
Hispanic/Latino	9,186	52.9%	54.6%	0-100%
Native American	9,186	2.3%	0.0%	0-100%
Multi-Racial	9,186	17.8%	12.5%	0-100%
Other	9,186	6.5%	0.0%	0-100%

*The table should be read "On average, homes served 59.3% African American/Black children, with a median of 73.9%, and anywhere from 0 to 100 percent."

Practitioners were asked to report whether or not they had English language learners (ELL) enrolled in their programs. Of 1,032 respondents to this question, 27.7 percent (n = 286) indicated they had English language learners enrolled in their programs. Of those with ELLs, 90.2 percent (n= 258) reported having children whose primary language was Spanish as ELLs in their programs. Many other languages were represented in the sample, each with less than ten providers serving children who are ELLs of a particular language such as: Arabic, Chinese dialects, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi/Urdu, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Vietnamese.

Professional Development

Program Awareness and Participation

Providers were asked about their awareness of professional development opportunities and programs available in Illinois.

• Nearly all (99.0 percent; n = 791 of 799) knew of the Gateways to Opportunity Registry.
• Over 90 percent (92.6 percent; n = 709 of 766) knew of Gateways to Opportunity Credentials.
• Over 90 percent (92.0 percent; n = 706 of 767) knew of the online training opportunities available through the Gateways i-learning System.
• Over 80 percent (86.5 percent; n = 661 of 764) knew of ExceleRate Illinois.
• Over 80 percent (85.6 percent; n = 652 of 762) knew of the Great START Program.
  • 16.8 percent of family child care homes (n = 174 of 1,035) had at least one Great START recipient in the past two years. Those 174 programs had a total of 184 recipients.
• Over 80 percent (86.9 percent; n = 663 of 763) had heard of the Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program.
  • 3.5 percent (n = 36 of 1,279) of family child care programs had at least one Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship participant for a total of 39 participants.
• Over half (55.8 percent; n = 402 of 721) knew of the Professional Development Advisor Program.
• Over two-thirds of participants (70.1 percent; n = 522 of 745) had heard of the consultant/specialist (e.g. Mental Health Consultant, Quality Specialist, Infant/Toddler Specialist) services offered by the CCR&Rs.

Training and Training Opportunities

Licensing standards require family child care practitioners to have a minimum of fifteen training hours per year. Generally, respondents exceeded this minimum. Family child care providers reported devoting 25.9 hours to workshops or conference training in the last year (n = 839; median = 19.0 hours; range = 1-500 hours).

The content of training can vary in its relevance to early care and education (ECE). Family child care providers were asked where they received their training within the past year. Table 43 reports the results. In this survey, online training was the principal source of training for family child care practitioners, with nearly three quarters (67.7 percent) reporting using online training as a source to meet their training needs. This is a slight decrease from the 70.2 percent in FY 2021 that reported taking online training. Previous reports showed that Child Care Resource and Referral workshops were the primary source of training; however, this has been on the decline from 65.8 percent in FY 2019 and 45.6 percent in FY 2021 to a slight increase to 51.1 percent in this report. The increased availability and usage of online training opportunities reported is a likely factor for this decline.

Table 43. Sources of Training (n = 1,035)

Training Sources	n	Percentage
Online Training	701	67.7%
Child Care Resource and Referral Workshops	529	51.1%
Professional Meeting or Conference Workshops	239	23.1%
Local Community Workshops	160	15.5%

Percentages add up to greater than 100 percent as respondents were asked to endorse all applicable items. Also, the sum of individual responses to each option will add to greater than the overall "n" respondents to the question.

Over 85 percent (86.7 percent) of all respondents expressed that they thought there were adequate training opportunities offered; however, that does not mean that all providers are able to attend those training opportunities. In order to determine what might hinder an individual's ability to attend trainings, providers were presented with a list of potential barriers to attending trainings and were asked to select all that applied. Responses are listed below and shown in Figure 27.

• 47.5 percent (n = 285) selected: "Most opportunities are during the day so it is difficult for me to attend";
• 39.8 percent (n = 239) selected: "I am unable to take time away from my work to take more training";
• 23.7 percent (n = 142) selected the item: "Cost of training is too high";
• 20.2 percent (n = 121) selected: "I am unable to take time away from my family to take more training";
• 18.2 percent (n = 109) chose: "My community doesn't have enough courses/workshops";
• 10.5 percent (n = 63) chose: "There is no reason to pursue more training";
• 9.8 percent (n = 59) chose: "Technology issues";
• 4.0 percent (n = 24) selected the item: "Quality of training is not good"; and,
• 5.2 percent (n = 31) selected: "Other".

Of the 31 providers that selected "Other", 58.1 percent indicated that the availability of trainings (training method [online or in person], timing of trainings, topic offerings, language barriers, and enrollment capacity) was problematic. The remaining providers indicated that they had personal circumstances (22.6 percent), the trainings were too far away (16.1 percent), or they had financial barriers (3.2 percent) that were preventing them from attending training.

Professional development is also available by taking coursework in early care and education at higher education institutions. Practitioners were posed the question, "Have you completed any ECE or CD coursework within the past two years?" Of the 878 practitioners who responded to this survey question, 108 (12.3 percent) reported "yes" and reported an average of 39.3 semester hours (median = 15.0) completed in the last two years.

Capacity and Enrollment

One aim of the Salary and Staffing Survey is to characterize the care environment of family child care home practitioners. According to DTP, the average total licensed capacity of the sample was approximately 10.3 (median = 10.0) children. The average licensed capacity of all 5,741 family child care providers on the database was 9.9 children.

During a typical week, providers cared for an average of 8.5 (n = 1,015; median = 8.0) children (excluding their own). 93.6 percent of providers indicated that they accept children whose families receive IDHS or IDCFS financial assistance. Providers also responded that they have an average of 7.5 (n = 772; median = 6.0) children in their program whose child care is being funded through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) or IDCFS vouchers. Providers reported serving an average of 6.4 of all client families (n = 621; median = 5.0) who receive financial assistance (from government, employers, local agencies) to subsidize child care costs.

A greater proportion of respondents participating in ExceleRate Illinois at a level higher than the Licensed Circle of Quality also served CCAP families in their programs. Participation in higher levels of ExceleRate was significantly associated with serving CCAP families (?2 = 6.08, p = .01) with 99.1 percent of providers higher than the Licensed Circle of Quality serving CCAP families versus 0.9 percent of those providers not serving CCAP families in their programs.

Family child care providers were also asked to rate the vacancies in their program on a scale from 1 ("There are always vacancies") to 5 ("There are never vacancies"). Out of 1,019 providers answering this question, 37.7 percent of family child care providers felt that there were rarely or never vacancies in their homes, 27.1 percent felt that there were sometimes vacancies, and 35.2 percent felt that there were always or often vacancies in their programs. Response percentages are shown in Figure 28 below. Results from this survey have a high degree of similarity when compared to the response time results of the FY 2021 survey.

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35. Licensed capacity in DTP adds regular capacity and extended capacity together. Extended capacity signifies the number of before- and after-school children a provider may care for on top of their regular capacity. For any capacity typically over 8, an assistant is required to be present.

36. About 13.1 percent of providers indicated that they have had children/families on CCAP enrolled over the last 2 years, but did not have any children on CCAP currently. Those providers were excluded from this analysis.

37. Data from DTP was used to obtain the ExceleRateTM Illinois status of all providers who participated in the Staffing and Salary Survey.

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When providers were asked how much impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on their program's enrollment patterns over the past two years, out of 1,034 responses, 28.1 percent (n = 291) indicated high to very high impact, 31.9 percent (n = 330) indicated moderate impact, 28.4 percent (n = 293) indicated low to very low impact, and 11.6 percent (n = 120) indicated no impact. Nearly half (46.5 percent; n = 476) of 1,024 providers indicated their current enrollment is the same as their pre-pandemic enrollment, while 39.1 percent (n = 400) shared that their current enrollment is lower than their pre-pandemic enrollment. Only 14.5 percent (n = 148) of providers currently have a higher enrollment than they did pre-pandemic.

A provider shared this perspective on the impact COVID-19 had on inconsistent enrollment:

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"I had more part-time children and it is extremely hard to fill the extra days when you have that. I have more full-time children now. I can't make it on kids coming twice a week and not getting paid for the other 3 days. This is my only income; I only have 8 spots and I don't make enough to pay someone else to have 4 more children here."

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Assistants

DCFS licensing requirement for staff in group homes and child care homes differ. Staff employed in group homes must have a high school diploma or equivalent and be at least 18 years of age if an on-site supervisor is present. If not, staff must be 21. , Staff working in day care homes are required to be at least 14 years of age, work under the direct supervision of the family child care provider and be at least five years older than any child for which they provide care.

In the 2023 Salary and Staffing Survey group family child care practitioners and family child care practitioners reported on the assistants they employed. Of the 878 providers that responded to the question, 53.3 percent (n = 468) indicated hiring paid assistants. Additionally, out of 806 respondents, 23.9 percent (n = 193) reported using unpaid assistants.

Paid family child care assistants received an average of $15.01 per hour (n = 381; median = $15.00). Their typical work week averaged 29.3 hours (n = 370; median = 30.0).

There is a large discrepancy in the range of hourly wages reported for assistants. Since a minor can work in a family day care, family child care providers can hire their own children. Although minimum wage for youths under the age of 18 is $10.50, providers can hire their eligible teenage children for less; however, with the exception of an employer's parent, spouse, or child, or other members of his or her immediate family, Minimum Wage Law requires an employer to pay an employee 18 years of age or older at least $13.00 per hour (minimum wage). ,

Family child care practitioners were then asked to provide additional thoughts about staffing in the comments section of the survey. The primary theme was about being able to afford to have an assistant and to pay them a competitive wage. Below are some representative comments.

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"I own a small home daycare, having an assistant would be amazing, it would help a ton with the children and with the feeling of isolation that comes with working alone, however I can't justify the expense because I'm not making enough money to pay someone else a fair wage. I think daycare cost is high for parents these days, but it's not high enough for us as providers with so much increased cost as far as food and supplies. It really is a weight my fellow daycare providers and I all bare, the constant question of raising our rates so we can afford the help we need, but if we do will we lose clients?"

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38. From Part 408 DCFS Licensing Requirements for Group Day Care Homes, Section 408.45. All requirements can be found at http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/089/089004080000450R.html

39. For employees 18 and older, the Illinois Internal Revenue Service requires the employer to withhold federal income tax from the employee's paycheck plus the employers' portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes. From the Internal Revenue Website: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=172179,00.html

40. From Part 406 DCFS Licensing Requirements for Day Care Homes, part 406.10. All requirements can be found at http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/089/08900406sections.html

41. From "State of Illinois - Department of Labor Hourly Minimum Wage Rates by Year", Illinois Department of Labor, <https://www.illinois.gov/idol/Laws-Rules/FLS/Pages/minimum-wage-rates-by-year.aspx>

42. From "Illinois Compiled Statutes (820 ILCS 105/) Minimum Wage Law", Illinois General Assembly, http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2400&ChapterID=68

43. Based on this rationale, all reported wages under $10.50 were excluded from this analysis.

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Business Characteristics

Hours

Respondents (n = 728) indicated that they get paid to work an average of 50.2 hours per week (median = 50.0 hours) taking care of children, and their child care home operates an average of 49.2 weeks per year (n = 757; median = 50.0 weeks).

In addition to hours spent directly with children, providers reported spending an average of 19.5 hours per week (n = 746; median = 15.0 hours) on various activities performed before or after business hours. These activities include preparing food, shopping, cleaning, record keeping, and preparing educational activities for the children.

Practitioners were also asked whether they ever closed for holidays, vacation, sick days, training, or any other occasion. Out of 754 providers who responded, 96.7 percent (n = 729) responded affirmatively; a slight decrease from the previous survey. The average number of days closed per year was 16.4 days (median = 15.0 days).

Earnings and Operating Expenses

Practitioners were queried about their annual expenses for food, utilities, insurance, and materials; all expenses except wages. Average annual expenses totaled $21,387.90 (median = $20,000.00) for the 604 providers who responded to this question. Expenses in 2023 were higher compared to those reported in the past two surveys.

Licensed family child care providers were asked to report their gross and net annual earnings. The average annual gross earning was $41,943.85 (n = 624; median = $40,000). FY 2023 reported gross earnings were slightly higher than those reported in FY 2019 and FY 2021. This survey's reported annual net earnings (n = 597) averaged $13,985.85 (median = $12,000). In FY 2021, respondents reported average net earnings of $15,431.04, with a median of $14,000. In FY 2023:

• 25 percent of family child care providers netted less than $500 (average hours worked per week = 47.7; median = 50)
• 50 percent of family child care providers netted less than $12,000 (average hours worked per week = 47.8; median = 50); and
• 75 percent of family child care providers netted less than $25,000 (average hours worked per week = 48.7; median = 50).

In FY 2023, the average hourly wage family child care providers earned was $11.27 (compared to the state minimum wage of $13.00 per hour); however, this hourly wage only reflects the average length of time that direct service is provided to children. When the average hours spent cleaning, preparing food, shopping, recordkeeping, and preparing educational activities for children (17.6 hours) are factored into the equation, child care providers work on average 66.9 hours per week and average $7.66 per hour.

As independent business owners, family child care providers set their own rates. Rates can exceed the CCAP rates reimbursed by the state. Providers can choose to have parents pay the difference between the CCAP reimbursement rates and their private rates. In FY 2023, providers were asked to provide information about their experience with the IDHS subsidy program. These questions specifically addressed whether providers charged parents more than their CCAP copays, the difficulty they experience in collecting copays, and whether or not the difficulty in collecting copays had changed in the past two years. Out of 760 respondents, 10.7 percent of providers (n = 81) reported charging families more than their CCAP copay; 89.3 percent (n = 679) of providers reported charging families their CCAP copay only.

Out of 820 practitioners who rated the difficulty of collecting copays, on a scale of 1 ("Very Easy") to 5 ("Very Difficult"), providers reported an average of 3.0 (median = 3.0). A rating of 3 means providers thought it was "neither easy nor difficult" to collect copays. Figure 29 and Table 44 display difficulty collecting copays.

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44. The average hourly wage of a family child care practitioner can be calculated using the formula:

Average net income ÷ (average of hours worked per week X average number of weeks worked per year).

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Table 44. Difficulty Collecting Copays (n = 820)

Difficulty Collecting Copays	Percentage	n
1 (Very Easy)	22.1%	181
2 (Somewhat Easy)	13.4%	110
3 (Neither Easy nor Difficult)	26.2%	215
4 (Somewhat Difficult)	24.1%	198
5 (Very Difficult)	14.1%	116

In response to whether the difficulty in collecting copays had changed pre-COVID, on a scale of 1 ("Much Easier") to 5 ("Much More Difficult"), out of 823 respondents, providers reported an average of 3.2 (median = 3.0). A rating of 3 means providers felt the difficulty collecting copays had "stayed about the same" as before. Figure 30 and Table 45 show changes in difficulty collecting copays.

Table 45. Change in Difficulty Collecting Copays (n = 823)

Change in Difficulty Collecting Copays	Percentage	n
1 (Much Easier)	6.2%	51
2 (Somewhat Easier)	9.0%	74
3 (About the Same)	55.3%	455
4 (Somewhat More Difficult)	18.1%	149
5 (Much More Difficult)	11.4%	94

Providers were then asked to rate on a scale of 1 ("Decreased Greatly") to 5 ("Increased Greatly") how their financial situation had changed in the past two years. In response to changes in their gross annual earnings, out of 772 providers responding to the question, an average of 2.6 (median = 3.0) was reported. Figure 31 and Table 46 shows the responses. Providers were also asked to rate changes in their annual expenses, on a scale of 1 ("Decreased Greatly") to 5 ("Increased Greatly"), 761 providers reported an average of 2.4 (median = 2.0). A score of 2 indicates that providers' annual expenses "decreased somewhat", and Figure 32 and Table 47 show all responses.

Table 46. Change in Gross Annual Earnings (n = 772)

Change in Gross Annual Earnings	Percentage	n
1 (Decreased Greatly)	17.6%	136
2 (Decreased Somewhat)	30.6%	236
3 (Stayed About the Same)	31.1%	240
4 (Increased Somewhat)	17.9%	138
5 (Increased Greatly)	2.8%	22

Table 47. Change in Annual Expenses (n = 761)

Change in Annual Expenses	Percentage	n
1 (Decreased Greatly)	19.7%	150
2 (Decreased Somewhat)	36.9%	281
3 (Stayed About the Same)	26.9%	205
4 (Increased Somewhat)	14.6%	111
5 (Increased Greatly)	1.8%	14

Finally, in response to changes about their net annual earnings over the past two years, out of 770 providers, an average of 3.7 (median = 4.0) was reported. A response of 3 means that providers felt their net annual earnings and expenses "stayed about the same", whereas a score of 4 means net annual earnings and expenses "increased somewhat". Figure 33 and Table 48 shows the trend for net annual earnings.

Table 48. Change in Net Annual Earnings (n = 770)

Change in Net Annual Earnings	Percentage	n
1 (Decreased Greatly)	7.3%	56
2 (Decreased Somewhat)	13.2%	102
3 (Stayed About the Same)	16.0%	123
4 (Increased Somewhat)	32.2%	248
5 (Increased Greatly)	31.3%	241

When providers were asked how much impact COVID-19 had on their program's funding/finances over the past two years, out of 773 responses, 36.6 percent (n = 283) indicated high to very high impact, 36.1 percent (n = 279) indicated moderate impact, 22.2 percent (n = 171) indicated low to very low impact, and 5.2 percent (n = 40) indicated no impact. The survey asked practitioners to record any additional thoughts they had about compensation in the field of child care. One provider shared:

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"Staffing and compensation issues makes it hard to grow my childcare business in 2023. As the owner of a childcare business, I understand the challenges that come with staffing and compensation. It can be difficult to attract and retain qualified employees in an industry that tends to be undervalued. Furthermore, providing competitive compensation within a tight budget is often a major hurdle."

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Other Income Sources

Providers were asked to report on other sources of income beyond their family child care programs. Under one tenth of providers (7.9 percent) reported having a second paid job. Under half of providers (44.2 percent) indicated there was at least one other adult who contributed to their household income. In addition, the Child and Adult Food Care Program was an income source identified by the majority of providers (78.6 percent).

Fee Policies

Family child care homes are considered small businesses; therefore, fee policies are decided by the owner(s). As Table 49 shows, the majority of family child care providers chose to be paid when the child care is closed for the holidays. In addition, 67.0 percent of providers require parents to pay when the children are absent because they are sick and 56.1 percent require payment when the home is closed for vacation days. More than half of providers (52.5 percent) require parents to pay for days the child is on vacation. The preponderance of providers do not require parents to pay for days when the family child care home is closed due to provider illness or workshop attendance. When day care homes are closed for other reasons (e.g., family emergencies, bereavement, jury duty, doctor appointments, personal days, or inclement weather), 21.2 percent of family child care practitioners require parents to pay for these days.

Table 49. Fee Policies (n = 556)

Provider is paid when…	n	Percentage
Closed for holidays	418	75.7%
Children are absent because they are sick	368	67.0%
Closed for vacation days	307	56.1%
Children are on vacation	287	52.5%
Closed for sick days	224	41.3%
Closed for training days	116	21.5%
Other reasons	111	21.2%

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45. The Child and Adult Care Food Program is a nutritional program funded through the USDA. In Illinois, this reimbursement program is administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. The program educates providers about proper nutrition and reimburses them for the meals and snacks they serve to children in care.

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DCFS requires family child care homes to have a written policy that describes what will occur if a child is picked-up late. This policy also includes information about any late fees that will accrue. Out of 783 practitioners who responded to this question, 51.7 percent charged a late fee (or early drop-off fee). The fee for late pick up or early drop off averaged $3.00 (median = $1.00) per minute for family child care providers who stated their fee (n = 390).

Financial Assistance

Family child care practitioners were provided with a list of financial assistance resources and asked the question: "In the past two years, have you received any types of financial assistance?" Just over half (50.8 percent) of the total respondents selected one or more of the financial assistance resources. Specifically:

• 39.9 percent selected "COVID relief funding";
• 11.9 percent selected "Medicaid/Medicare for yourself";
• 5.1 percent selected "Medicaid for your children";
• 5.1 percent selected "Food stamps/SNAP";
• 4.0 percent selected "AllKids for your child(ren)";
• 1.0 percent selected "TANF/AFDC";
• 0.7 percent selected "Subsidized housing/Section 8"; and,
• 0.3 percent selected "FamilyCare for yourself".

Benefits

Practitioners were asked whether they were currently covered by any health insurance or medical plan. In response, 90.3 percent (n = 706) of the 782 child care practitioners that responded reported having health care coverage. As with 2019 and 2021, this represents a significant increase over the 80.4 percent reported in 2013 and is likely due to requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Further analysis of health care coverage shows that 9.1 percent received full coverage and 15.2 percent received partial coverage through their spouse's employer, 24.4 percent purchased health insurance on their own, and 25.3 percent reported that they were Medicaid/Medicare eligible. Of respondents, 26.0 percent had paid health care coverage received through a variety of other sources, including as retirement benefits from previous employers, community health services, and through the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a union for family child care providers. There were 2.0 percent of respondents who indicated they have health care coverage but that did not respond to one of the options displayed. Figure 34 shows the benefits breakdown for practitioners.

Over half of practitioners (55.9 percent) indicated that they contribute to Social Security and Medicare. When asked the question, "In the last year, have you set aside any savings for your retirement," nearly one-third of the respondents (27.1 percent) said they had (slightly down from the 29.8 percent in the 2019 report and 30.3 in 2021).

Per the comment section of the survey, many practitioners expressed anxiety about the lack of affordable health care insurance (including dental and vision care) available to child care providers and their families. In addition, many acknowledged the need for retirement benefits. Two remarks are shown below.

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"I'm worried when the time comes to retire and we don't have any benefits."

"It is a career where there are no type of benefits, no pension, no retirement, etc."

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Professional Support

Family child care practitioners often work alone and have no other adults within close proximity. Research suggests that the lack of "social, instrumental, and problem-solving support over a long workday as the only adult in the setting" and the lack of support when "having to play multiple roles" are potential sources of stress for providers. One way to combat that stress is to use support services such as participation in a professional organization or network with other professionals. Based on this rationale, providers were asked whether they had any contact with any other child care professionals. A predominance of home-based practitioners (86.4 percent) responding to the survey indicated that they have at least one other child care professional with whom they can discuss a problem in their program.

There are national, state, regional and local child care associations that support the needs of family child care providers. Over half of respondents (59.7 percent; n = 469 of 785) reported that they were members of a child care association. Just about three-quarters (72.5 percent; n = 574 of 792) indicated that they utilized their Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) as a professional support in the past two years. Local CCR&Rs provide various services to child care professionals.

Turnover

Practitioners were asked to identify the length of time they would continue to operate their day care home. Nearly two-thirds (64.3 percent; n = 509) of providers responded "I don't know"; this is similar to what was reported in FY 2019, FY 2017, and FY 2015 but is an increase from the 50.0 percent reported in the FY 2013 survey report. The remainder of providers (n = 282) indicated they would continue to provide child care in their homes for an average of nine years (mean = 8.9 years; median = 9.0 years). This average is a decrease from the previous survey, which reported a mean of 9.6 years and median of 10.0 years.

To gauge potential turnover, providers were asked the question, "In the past two years, have you ever considered no longer providing care?" Under 40 percent (36.6 percent; n = 292 of 798) had considered closing their business. Respondents who answered "yes" to that question were asked to further clarify by responding to a follow-up question which contained a list of reasons that traditionally contribute to provider burn-out. Practitioners were asked to rate the importance of each item on a scale of 1 ("Not important") to 5 ("Very important"). Table 50 presents the reasons why a provider may discontinue care and various statistics for each reason.

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46. Charlyn Harper Brown, "Strengthening Families: Almost Like Family: Family Child Care", Center for the Study of Social Policy, October 2009,

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Table 50. Reasons Providers Considered No Longer Providing Care

Reason	Mean	Median	n	Percentage Rating Item as "Very Important"
Dissatisfied with benefits	4.0	5.0	281	55.5%
Too little respect for child care providers	4.0	5.0	284	53.9%
Retirement	3.9	5.0	285	52.3%
Too little time off	3.9	4.0	282	47.2%
Dissatisfied with salary	3.9	4.0	283	44.9%
Working hours are too long	3.7	4.0	284	41.2%
Too much stress	3.6	4.0	281	36.3%
Economic stresses from COVID-19 pandemic	3.4	4.0	286	34.6%
Enrollments are too low	3.1	3.0	283	33.2%
Frustration with parents	3.3	3.0	284	29.2%
Other personal reasons	2.9	3.0	261	27.2%
Physical stresses/health issues from COVID-19 pandemic	2.9	3.0	285	26.0%
Isolation	2.9	3.0	280	23.9%
Health problems	2.7	3.0	283	17.7%
Returning to school	2.2	1.0	278	11.9%
Not enough work hours	2.0	1.0	274	10.2%
Enrollments are too high	2.1	1.0	273	9.9%
Moving/relocating	1.9	1.0	278	7.6%

According to Table 50, "dissatisfaction with benefits", "too little respect for what child care providers do", and "retirement" were the three primary reasons instigating turnover in the field. Dissatisfaction with salary was the 5th top reason for turnover. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average yearly salary of a child care worker was the 5th lowest out of 29 occupations listed under the category Personal Care and Service Occupations. Providers are aware of the balance between earning an income while realizing parents cannot afford to pay more for care:

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"Economic hardships has hit both providers and families. There should continue be opportunities for both parties to gain economic stability."

"There are many families that are facing economic hardships and simply can't even afford their co-payments or can't afford anything extra of what child care financial assistance already pays. As providers, we also incurred many changes to our practice of care. We must think of Covid-19 and maintain our program to the level of care needed to keep everyone safe and secure. It's been hard for both the providers and the families looking for affordable child care."

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Practitioners were asked to rate on a scale of 1 ("Not important") to 5 ("Very important") a number of items that might influence them to continue providing child care in their homes. Participants rated better benefits and higher pay as the main factors that would most entice them to continue providing child care. "More time off" was also rated as "very important" to over half of all respondents (mean = 3.8). (Again, family child care homes are only closed an average of 16.4 days per year.) Table 51 displays the results.

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Table 51. Reasons to Continue Offering Care

Reason	Mean	Median	n	Percentage Rating Item as "Very Important"
Better benefits	4.4	5.0	280	71.1%
Higher income	4.3	5.0	280	66.1%
More time off	4.1	5.0	279	58.4%
Substitute caregivers	3.4	4.0	282	40.4%
Help with problem solving	3.2	3.0	282	34.0%
Higher enrollments	3	3.0	277	29.6%
Family child care training	3.1	3.0	280	27.5%
More contact with other providers	3	3.0	280	26.8%
Being part of a professional organization	2.9	3.0	281	25.3%
Lower enrollments	2.3	2.0	274	16.4%
More work hours	2.1	1.0	276	10.1%

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47. "Occupation Employment Statistics: May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Illinois", Bureau of Labor Statistics,

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In order to assess turnover rate, the total number of family child care providers listed in the provider database on June 30, 2021 (the end of IDHS's fiscal year) was compared to the number of providers listed in the same database on June 30, 2023. Through comparison of both databases, data could be collected regarding the number of providers who were new on the database and the number of providers no longer providing child care. Table 52 presents the information, with visual representations in Figure 35 (provider turnover) and Figure 36 (capacity turnover).

Table 52. Provider Turnover 2021-2023: Licensed Family Child Care Homes

---	Homes 2021	Lost due to Homes Closing	Gained due to Homes Opening	Homes in 2023	Net Change 2021 to 2023
Active Providers	6,245	-1,200	696	5,741	-8.10%
Total Licensed Capacity	60,986	-11,005	6,835	56,816	-6.84%

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48. INCCRRA transitioned from NACCRRAware to DTP going into FY 2020 and there was a lot of cleanup done between the two systems. Some of the loss of providers was due to that cleanup (e.g., some CCR&Rs had a program listed twice under different names).

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49. INCCRRA transitioned from NACCRRAware to DTP going into FY 2020 and there was a lot of cleanup done between the two systems. Some of the loss of providers was due to that cleanup (e.g., some CCR&Rs had a program listed twice under different names).

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Motivations and Perceptions about Providing Child Care

In order to grasp what motivates family child care practitioners to provide child care in their home and capture their perceptions about their work, they were given a series of statements and asked to rate each statement on a scale of 1 ("Strongly disagree") to 5 ("Strongly agree"). Some of the statements focused on motivation and others on perception. As Table 53 reveals, practitioners reported several factors that motivated them to be in the child care business. The most enthusiastically endorsed (rated as "Strongly agree" by 70 percent or more of the respondents) were: "Enjoy teaching children" and "Like to be in business for self." The least common motivator was "Stay at home with own children", which still received a rating of "Strongly agree" by almost a quarter of the respondents.

Table 53. Reasons for Providing Child Care

Reason	Mean	Median	n	Percentage Rating Item as "Strongly agree"
Enjoy teaching children	4.6	5	780	74.2%
Like to be in business for self	4.5	5	780	70.9%
Earn an income	4.1	4	773	46.2%
Stay at home with own children	3	3	770	19.9%

Table 54 reflects the responses to questions that pertain to a practitioner's perceptions about their work. The mean and median, number of respondents, and the percentage of respondents who rated the statement as a 5 ("Strongly agree") are presented in the table below. Perceptions most highly embraced by providers revolved around their sense of professionalism in the job. Most respondents considered themselves to be small business owners, early childhood professionals, and acknowledge the role that training plays in furthering and maintaining their status as a professional.

Table 54. Perceptions About Providing Child Care

Perception	Mean	Median	n	Percentage Rating Item as "Strongly agree"
I consider myself a small business owner	4.8	5.0	779	66.0%
Getting more training helps me become more professional	4.3	5.0	781	57.4%
I consider myself an early childhood professional	4.3	5.0	779	56.4%
I can set my own rates and policies	3.8	4.0	779	34.0%

Providers were asked to respond to the question, "In the past two years, have opportunities for family child care providers become better, stayed the same, or become worse." Out of 782 respondents, under half (46.2 percent) replied that opportunities over the past two years had "stayed the same", 36.2 percent indicated they had become better, and 17.6 percent responded that opportunities had become worse. The percentage of respondents who indicated they had become better increased by about 10 percent from FY 2021 to this report.

Providers who felt that opportunities for family child care programs have gotten worse observed:

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"We had to become more strict because of the environment we were in and most parents were not accepting of the changes making it difficult to keep clients."

"Hard to keep children in care."

"We need a better salary, benefits, paid time off, assistant for vacations and sick days."

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Providers who felt that opportunities for family child care programs had gotten better focused solely on support, resources, and training opportunities.

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"Grants have been very helpful and generous."

"I believe people are having somewhat more respect for the childcare community and trying to provide more opportunities and benefits and finances."

"Better trainings, more resources, better paid."

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Providers offered other comments which reflected the issues they were facing in their child care programs Some focused upon their needs for increased pay, their difficulties with late payments by parents, and the desire for a new expedited method of payment concerning parents who use CCAP for their child care tuition payment. Other comments addressed concerns involving the lack of employment benefits and retirement plans that are not widely available for all providers. Concerns involving the overwhelming amount of documentation that DCFS expects providers to maintain were also noted. A few comments brought forward were the providers' concerns over child behavior, and how the behaviors affect their property, work environment, and their own mental health. Furthermore, providers detailed their limited abilities to employ qualified staff which has made staffing for child care positions difficult. Finally, providers echoed their issues concerning the very limited respect they garner from their communities regarding their child care profession. Many practitioners also shared their concerns and frustrations regarding training and professional development opportunities.

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"With more than 15 years of service, the new training offerings are limited."

"For different, better trainings, it is more costly. Usually free trainings are repeated trainings; nothing new."

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Despite the frustrations that family child care providers may face, there were many comments describing their passion and love for early care and education and the children for which they care.

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"Happy with my job for almost 20 years and always trying to learn and be more professional. It's something that I enjoy and I do it with great pride; working and always thinking about child care."

"It's great that there is infrastructure to support child care programs. When I started there was nothing of the kind, and training opportunities were spotty. In the past 31 years the field has advance quite a bit […] We do everything we can to provide a nurturing educational environment for our clients that will prepare the child from an early age to be confident, literate, empathetic, and caring about the environment and others. I do this as a ministry as much for gainful employment."

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Conclusion

Child care is a vital foundational service that allows for employment and economic betterment for families. Without affordable quality care options, parents are less likely to function effectively in their jobs and children are less likely to receive the developmentally stimulating environments proven to benefit them. Research has shown high quality child care contributes to young children's social competence and cognitive development. A nurturing and stable relationship with a provider is one important component of high-quality care settings. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the education and stability of the child care workforce are critical to the well-being of children and their working parents. Young children have much to gain from a well-educated and stable child care workforce; however, research asserts that the minimal requirements for education (many states do not require any education beyond high school ) and the high turnover rate among child care practitioners (roughly one-third leave the field each year ) is challenging the opportunity for quality child care to be achieved and maintained. In knowing the importance of education and continuity in the care of children, it is important to learn more about the child care workforce within the state of Illinois as a means of ensuring quality care for all children. As such, the Illinois Salary and Staffing Survey provides in-depth information every two years about wages, salaries and benefits, and other information pertinent to the child care work environment in licensed child care centers and in licensed family child care homes. To complement the Illinois Salary and Staffing Survey, the Gateways to Opportunity Registry can provide more frequently collected and updated information regarding several workforce characteristics, including qualifications and salaries.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic also caused massive disruptions throughout the economy, but particularly in the child care sector with mandated closures, reduced enrollments, and increased costs for sanitation supplies. This has made this survey even more valuable in understanding the child care workforce characteristics, how the sector responds to massive disruptions such as this, and how aid may be used to increase industry resiliency. With this in mind, readers will note some dramatic changes from the previous report throughout including items such as enrollments, turnover rates, and some changes to demographic makeup of staff such as increased hiring of males or a reduction in the number of centers reporting non-English speaking staff.

The majority of the child care workforce in Illinois has attained at least an associate's degree. Most practitioners in centers and homes had some college education. In addition, 61.2 percent of early childhood teachers and 34.1 percent of family child care practitioners had earned an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree. Further, 25.1 percent of early childhood teachers earned their degree in early childhood education (ECE) or child development (CD), and 13.5 percent of family child care providers earned their degree in ECE/CD.

As is the case at the national level, job turnover among child care providers in Illinois is a continuing problem. The past two years showed a turnover rate of 41.0 percent for early childhood teachers and a 69.1 percent turnover rate for early childhood teacher assistants, both representing increases from the previous survey. The primary reason reported for early childhood teacher departure was "dissatisfied with wages or benefits"; which is consistent when compared to the predominant reasons cited in past surveys (with the exception of FY11). Other principal reasons reported for staff departure included personal or family issues, burnout, and unhappy with job duties. As many of these reasons were endorsed at a similar rate by directors, it suggests that the reasons for turnover are usually complicated, especially since many directors also rated each reason for leaving by indicating there was a "personal reason" associated with the staff departure. Since data for this survey are gathered from directors or other administrative staff and not the departing staff member, having staff directly respond with their reasons for leaving might yield richer findings.

In the past two years, 36.6 percent of family child care practitioners considered closing their child care home; just under one in five did. Dissatisfaction with benefits, too little respect for what child care providers do, and retirement were the predominant reasons reported.

When it comes to compensation, patterns of compensation for center positions varied. Per the FY 2023 survey, the mean hourly wages of school-age workers saw the largest increase from the FY 2021 survey. All other positions also saw increases, with administrative director having the slightest increase compared to FY 2021.

The median hourly wage for an early childhood teacher in 2023 was $16.50, as compared to $14.29 in 2021, $13.00 in 2019, $12.50 in 2017, $12.00 in 2015, and $11.04 in 2013. Assuming a full-time early childhood teacher position equals 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, the gross annual salary would equal $34,320. This represents nearly three times the median net earnings of licensed family child care providers whose 2023 reported earnings were $12,000. This is lower than the $14,000 reported in 2021, but equal to the $12,000 reported in 2019 and 2017.

Wages differed substantially in centers around the state. Early childhood teachers employed in Carterville (located in southern Illinois) earned a median hourly wage of $15.63 per hour compared to early childhood teachers in Addison (located in northern Illinois) who earned a median hourly wage of $17.62, a difference of almost $2.00 per hour. Level of education also mattered, as teachers with more education earned more than those without degrees. Moreover, teachers who majored in early childhood education (ECE) or child development (CD) and obtained an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree, earned more than teachers with a degree in another field.

In addition to the low wages of the child care workforce, being able to rely on benefit programs being offered by employers is not a guarantee. Although at least 84 percent of centers reported offering paid vacation, holidays or sick leave, only 54.9 percent offered health insurance, and 55.4 percent offered a retirement/pension plan. Life insurance was offered by only 44.7 percent of centers. While centers may provide benefits to employees as part of their compensation, family child care practitioners must pay for their own. Although 90.3 percent of family child care providers were covered by a health plan, many received coverage through their spouse's employer. Other benefits are modest for family child care providers who reported being closed only a median of 15 days per year. While 75.7 percent charged when closed for holidays, only 56.1 percent charged when closed for vacation. Substantially fewer charged when closed for sick days or training days. Providers indicated that they did not charge when closed because they were sensitive to their clients' financial situations and they did not think their clients would pay.

As in past Salary and Staffing Surveys, low wages and poor benefits were voiced to be a major concern by all survey respondents. Aside from the obvious financial stress these factors create for providers, they're perceived to underscore a lack of value and respect for the child care labor force. These dynamics continue to be a driving force for turnover in the child care field. Throughout the survey, while providers and administrators repeatedly described their love of and dedication to children and their development, they also admitted that they need to make a living. In the end, many expressed pessimisms about the child care field and a plea for help to supplement income, educate parents, and provide benefits. If these survey results and comments have any predictive value, it may be to forecast a continuing ambivalence toward the profession among practitioners at all levels of the child care workforce.

In spite of a few somber findings, survey results also indicate there are many reasons for optimism. The frequency of directors and family child care providers who are aware of Gateways to Opportunity programs and other support programs suggests that there is more awareness of the resources and options that some centers and providers are able to access that provides some compensation for lower wages and benefits in the field of child care. Several statewide programs support provider education and help reduce turnover. Survey respondents acknowledged these to be valuable supports to the child care field. The Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program awards partial college scholarships for both center and family child care practitioners to further their education in early childhood or school-age care. The Great START wage supplement program offers a stipend every six months to center and home-based providers based on their educational achievements (as long as they remain at their present place of employment). ExceleRate Illinois enhances the income of programs which provide quality care to CCAP enrolled children by providing a supplemental add-on to the CCAP reimbursement rate. Participating programs also receive support and recognition for their commitment to providing quality child care. The Gateways to Opportunity Credentials recognize the education, experience, and professional contributions of early childhood practitioners. The ExceleRate Circles of Quality, above the Licensed Circle, require that a percentage of personnel have achieved a Gateways Credential. In addition, Illinois' Smart Start Child Care initiative, announced in 2023, is working to provide families with better access to high quality care and education. One of the most important parts of the initiative is to increase wages for staff in the early childhood education workforce via grants to child care programs across the state. Such programs can help improve the compensation possibilities of practitioners, thus leading to lower turnover and ultimately higher quality of child care in Illinois.

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51. D. Vandell, J. Belsky, M. Burchinal, N. Vandergrift, & L. Steinberg. "Do effects of early child care extend to age 15 years? Results from the NICHD study of early child care and youth development." Child Development, 2010, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2938040/

52. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Childcare Workers,

at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm

53. Bassok, D., Markowitz, A. J., Bellows, L., & Sadowski, K. "New evidence on teacher turnover in early childhood." Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2021, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0162373720985340

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Appendix A: Survey Instruments

Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

FISCAL YEAR 2023 ILLINOIS CHILD CARE SALARY AND STAFFING SURVEY

CHILD CARE CENTERS

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Please read and follow all directions carefully for each question. For some questions, you will need to check the appropriate box; for some questions, you will need to circle the appropriate number; and for some questions, you will need to write in the appropriate number or information requested.
• Please DO NOT write your name anywhere on the questionnaire. We have given each survey a number to help us keep track of which providers have returned their forms and which need reminders. All information will be kept confidential.
• Please try to answer every question as accurately as possible, adding explanatory notes only when necessary.
• Please complete the questionnaire and return it in the enclosed, stamped envelope to:

Rachel Salrin

INCCRRA

1226 Towanda Plaza

Bloomington, IL 61701

* Thank you for taking valuable time out of your busy schedule to complete this survey. The survey will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. It need not be completed at one sitting, but we ask that you return it to us within 2 weeks of receiving it. Your investment of time will contribute to knowledge that will improve the conditions and address the needs of all child care providers in Illinois.

Thank you again.

Please return by June 30, 2023!

PERSONAL PROFILE

1. What is your title? (select one)

 Owner  Director

 Owner/Director  Director/Teacher

 Other (please specify) ________________________________

1. How many years of experience do you have in a child care and education administrative role?
2. How many years of experience do you have in child care?
3. What County does your program operate in?

ABOUT YOUR PROGRAM

• How long has your program (site) been in operation?
• year or less

 2-3 years

 4-6 years

 7-10 years

 Over 10 years

2. What is the operation schedule of your center? (select one)

 Full-Day, Full-Year only (8 or more hours a day, at least 47 weeks a year)

 Full-Day, Full-Year with separate Part-Day option

 Part-Day only - nursery school, preschool, Head Start

 Part-Day only - before- and/or after-school program

 Other (please specify) __________________________________________

3. Which best describes your center? (select one)

 For Profit - Private proprietary or partnership

 For Profit - Corporation or chain

 For Profit - Corporate sponsored

 Private Non-Profit - Independent

 Private Non-Profit - Affiliated with a social service agency or hospital

 Public Non-Profit - Sponsored by federal, state, or local government

 College or University affiliated

 Military sponsored

 Public school

4. Is your center sponsored by a faith-based organization? Yes No

5. Is your center… (select one)

 a single-site program?  part of a multi-site program? 

If your center is part of a multi-site program, what is the name of the parent organization?

6. Check ALL current sources of funding received by your center:

 Tuition-based (parent fees)

 Illinois Department of Human Services vouchers/certificates (IDHS CCAP) and/or IDHS Site contract

 Chicago Department of Family & Support Services (DFSS) Site Contract

 Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) vouchers/certificates

 Head Start

 Early Head Start

 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Preschool for All (Early Childhood Block Grant)

 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Preschool for All - Expansion (Early Childhood Block Grant)

Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Prevention Initiative (Early Childhood Block Grant)

 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Preschool for All (Early Childhood Block Grant)

 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

 Private donations, grants (e.g., foundations, United Way), or fundraising

 Corporate/employer subsidies

 COVID-19 relief funds (Child Care Restoration Grant, Strengthen and Grow Child Care Grant, Child Care Workforce Bonus, PPP, other CARES funding, etc.)

Other (please specify)

---

7.

Please estimate the percentage of funds you received last year on average from each of the following sources: (These should add up to 100%)

Parent fees     _______%

IDHS CCAP Vouchers, Site Contract, or DFSS Site Contract    _______%

DCFS Vouchers/Certificates    _______%

Head Start or Early Head Start funds    _______%

ISBE or CPS Preschool for All or Prevention Initiative funds    _______%

Child and Adult Care Food Program    _______%

Private donations, grants (e.g., foundations, United Way), or fundraising  _______%

 Corporate/employer subsidies   _______%

Other public funding (state, federal, or local money)    _______%

COVID-19 relief funds (CCRG, SGCC, CCWB, PPP, other CARES funding, etc.)   _______%

Other (please specify)_________________________________________ _______%

8. What are the approximate annual operating costs (expenses) for your center?

9. In the past two years, how did your annual operating costs change? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

10. What are the approximate revenues (income) for your center?

11. In the past two years, how did your annual revenues change? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

12. What are the approximate profits (net revenues) for your center?

13. In the past two years, how did your annual profits change? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

14. In the past two years, how much impact has COVID-19 had on your program's funding/finances? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale, or if no impact, please check the box here:  

No impact

Very Low Impact

Low Impact

Moderate Impact

High Impact

Very High Impact

ENROLLMENT

1. What is your current total enrollment?
2. Using the following scale, circle the response that best describes your enrollment pattern over the past two years.

There were always vacancies

There were often vacancies

There were sometimes vacancies

There were rarely vacancies

There were never vacancies

3. Using the following scale, circle the response that best describes how your enrollment pattern changed over the past two years.

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

4. Do you have children in your program whose primary language is not English?   Yes No

If yes, please respond to the statement for each language option below:

In my program I have children whose primary language is…

Spanish  Yes No

Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin  Yes No

Korean  Yes No

Vietnamese  Yes No

Japanese  Yes No

Polish  Yes No

Russian  Yes No

German  Yes No

French    Yes No 

Farsi  Yes No

Hebrew  Yes No

Arabic    Yes No

Hindu/Urdu  Yes No

Other (please specify) ____________________  Yes No

5. Please estimate the percentage of children in your program in each category.

African American

Caucasian/White

Hispanic/Latino

Native American

Asian/Pacific Islander

Multi-Racial

Other

6. In the past two years, how much impact has COVID-19 had on your program's enrollment patterns? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale, or if no impact, please check the box here:  

No impact

Very Low Impact

Low Impact

Moderate Impact

High Impact

Very High Impact

7. Please compare your current enrollment to your pre-pandemic enrollment (e.g., November 2019).

 My current enrollment is higher than my pre-pandemic enrollment

 My current enrollment is lower than my pre-pandemic enrollment

 My current enrollment is the same as my pre-pandemic enrollment

If your current enrollment is different than your pre-pandemic enrollment, please explain why.

8. Do you accept children in your program whose families receive IDHS and/or DCFS child care financial assistance (subsidy)?

 Yes, and I have had subsidized children enrolled at some point in the last 2 years  

 Yes, but I have not had subsidized children enrolled in the last 2 years

No, I do not accept subsidized children

If yes, during a typical week, how many children whose families receive IDHS and/or DCFS child care financial assistance (subsidy) do you care for?

If yes, how many families in your program receive assistance paying for child care (funding from government, employers, or local agencies)? Do not include discounts that you offer to families.

If yes, do you charge parents more than the amount paid for with subsidy (including the state payment and parent co-payment)?  Yes No

If no, why not? (select all that apply)

 I don't know what the subsidy program is/I have never looked into it.

 Program doesn't qualify (i.e., Head Start, free program).

 Subsidy families can't afford or won't pay the tuition balance.

 We offer our own tuition break/scholarship to families in need.

 There are no interested families/families in need.

 We don't have time for paperwork or the paperwork is too complicated.

 We need weekly operating funds.

 We have no openings.

 Other (please specify) _____________________________

9. Using the scale below, please circle the response that best indicates how the number of children whose families receive IDHS and/or DCFS child care financial assistance (subsidy) in your care has changed over the past two years:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

10. If you served, or have served in the past two years, children whose families receive child care financial assistance, how easy or difficult was it to collect the parents' share (co-payments, the difference between the state assistance and what you charge, etc.)?

Very Easy

Somewhat Easy

Neither Easy nor Difficult

Somewhat Difficult

Very Difficult

11. In the past two years, has it become easier, more difficult, or about the same, to collect the parents' share of child care cost for those families in your program who receive assistance paying for child care?

Much Easier

Somewhat Easier

About the Same

Somewhat More Difficult

Much More Difficult

ABOUT YOUR STAFF

1. How many staff are in your program? List the number of staff within each category (categories a-f are teaching/instructional staff defined by DCFS licensing regulations).

1. Administrative Director   
2. Director/Teacher   
3. Early Childhood Teacher  
4. Early Childhood Assistant/Aide  
5. School-Age Worker
6. School-Age Assistant/Aide 
7. Curriculum Coordinator     
8. Family Support/Parent Educator   
9. Cook   
10. Administrative Support/Secretary 
11. Building Support Staff (e.g., janitor, maintenance) 
12. Other 

2. Of the staff in categories b, c, and e above, how many lead teachers do you have?

Please use the following definition of a lead teacher: 

"The lead teacher is the individual with the highest educational qualifications assigned to teach a group/classroom of children and who is responsible for daily lesson planning, parent conferences, child assessment, and curriculum planning."

• Depending on the program, this individual may be called a head teacher, master teacher, or teacher
• Each group/classroom will have one, and only one, lead teacher.

3. Do you contract for any of the following regularly-provided services for your center? (select all that apply)

 Food service

 Building cleaning

 Outdoor/Grounds maintenance (including snow removal)

 Other (please specify) _______________________________________

4. How many of your administrative and teaching/instructional staff (staff titles a-f above) have a second paying job outside of your center?

 Number of staff ________  I don't know

5. How many staff in your program identify as male? List the number of staff within each category who identify as male.

1. Administrative Director   
2. Director/Teacher   
3. Early Childhood Teacher  
4. Early Childhood Assistant/Aide
5. School-Age Worker   
6. School-Age Assistant/Aide 

6. How many staff in your program are fluent in a language other than English? List the number of staff within each category who are fluent in a non-English language.

 Administrative Director 

 Director/Teacher   

 Early Childhood Teacher  

 Early Childhood Assistant/Aide

 School-Age Worker   

 School-Age Assistant/Aide 

7. If you have staff who are fluent in a language other than English, please identify the language(s) they are fluent in:

Spanish  Yes No

Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin  Yes No

Korean  Yes No

Vietnamese  Yes No

Japanese  Yes No

Polish  Yes No

Russian  Yes No

German  Yes No

French  Yes No 

Farsi    Yes No

Hebrew  Yes No

Arabic  Yes No

Hindu/Urdu  Yes No

Other (please specify) ____________________  Yes No

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The following questions refer to administrative and teaching staff.

1. Have you heard of the following programs and services?

Gateways to Opportunity Registry  Yes No

Great START  Yes No

Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program  Yes No

Gateways to Opportunity Credentials (i.e., Illinois Director Credential, ECE Credential, Infant Toddler Credential)  Yes No

Professional Development Advisor (PDA) Program  Yes No

ExceleRate Illinois  Yes No

Consultants/Specialists available through your local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency (i.e., Mental Health Consultant, Quality Specialist, Infant Toddler Specialist)  Yes No

Online trainings through iLearning  Yes No

2. Do you have a staff professional development plan for your center? Yes No

3. Do you have an individual staff professional development plan for each of your teaching/instructional staff? Yes No

4. Do you offer in-service training opportunities for your teaching/instructional staff?

Yes No

5. Do you pay for conference/training registration for your teaching/instructional staff?

Yes No

6. In the last year, did you or any of your staff receive any training in early childhood education, child development, or health education from the following? (select all that apply)

 Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) training 

 Training at professional association meetings or conferences

 Local community training   Online training

7. Do you feel there are adequate training opportunities available to you and your staff? Yes No

8. Do you have a salary schedule that you share with your staff? Yes No

If you DO have a salary schedule, is it differentiated by: (select all that apply)

 Education level

 Attainment of a Gateways Credential

 Attainment other industry-recognized credentials (e.g., CDA, professional educator license)

 Level of experience

 Additional or supplementary training

 Other (please specify)

If you DO NOT have a salary schedule, do you have something other than a salary schedule? Yes No

If you use something other than a salary schedule, please specify what you do use.

9. For each position listed (as defined in DCFS licensing), what is the a) starting wage/salary for the position and b) highest wage/salary for the position? Please check the box to indicate whether you are providing an amount that is an hourly wage or an annual salary.

Administrative Director 

Director/Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher

Early Childhood Assistant/Aide

School-Age Worker

School-Age Assistant/Aide

10. Approximately how many child care professionals in addition to your immediate staff did you speak to last week? (select one)

 0

 1-2

 3-5

 6-9

 10 or more

11. Approximately how many child care professionals do you know personally, in addition to your immediate staff? (select one)

 0

 1-2

 3-5

 6-9

 10 or more

STAFF TURNOVER AND REPLACEMENT

1. How many staff members have left your program in the last 24 months? Please refer to your permanent full-time and part-time staff members, not temporary, substitute, or seasonal staff.

Administrative Director   

Director/Teacher   

Early Childhood Teacher  

Early Childhood Assistant/Aide  

School-Age Worker 

School-Age Assistant/Aide 

Other (please specify)

2. Of the total number of staff above that left your program, how many left…

Of their own choosing (voluntarily)  

Not of their own choosing (terminated or asked to resign)

3. Of the staff that left your program of their own choosing, how many staff in each role left for each reason listed? Please indicate only the primary reason staff left your program.

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant

Dissatisfied with wages or benefits

Dissatisfied with work schedule or availability of hours 

Not enough opportunities for professional development or growth 

Unhappy with the job duties 

Burnout 

Retirement

Personal or family issues 

Staying at home with their own children 

Unknown / did not share a reason 

Other 

4. Of the staff that left your program of their own choosing, how many…

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant

Opened their own child care center or family child care home 

Went to work at a different child care center

Went to work within the public school system 

Found another job within the field of early care and education (not in a child care center, family child care home, or public school) 

Found another job outside of the field of early care and education 

Moved out of the area 

Went back to school

Unknown / did not share 

Other

5. Please report the number of applicants who applied when you sought to fill a vacancy in the last two years. Write in the number of applicants by category of employee.

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant

Number of DCFS-qualified applicants 

Number of program qualified applicants (e.g., Head Start) 

Number of non-qualified applicants 

6. Please report the number of applicants who identify as male who applied when you sought to fill a vacancy in the last two years. Write in the number of applicants by category of employee.

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant

Number of applicants who identify as male

7. Please report the number of applicants fluent in a language other than English who applied when you sought to fill a vacancy in the last two years. Write in the number of applicants by category of employee.

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant

Number of applicants fluent in a language other than English 

8. If there were any applicants fluent in a language other than English who applied when you sought to fill a vacancy in the last two years, please identify the language(s) they were fluent in:

Spanish  Yes No

Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin  Yes No

Korean  Yes No

Vietnamese  Yes No

Japanese  Yes No

Polish  Yes No

Russian  Yes No

German  Yes No

French  Yes No 

(additional languages on next page)

Farsi  Yes No

Hebrew  Yes No

Arabic  Yes No

Hindu/Urdu  Yes No

Other (please specify) ____________________  Yes No

9. How long did it take you to fill vacancies for each category of staff? For each category of staff, circle how long, on average, it took to fill the vacancy from the time you began your search until you filled the position.

 Less than one week 1-2 weeks 3-4 weeks More than 4 weeks Not applicable

Administrative Director 

Director/Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher

Early Childhood Assistant

 School-Age Worker

School-Age Assistant

10. Please report the number of applicants who identify as male you have hired in the past two years, for each of the following staff categories. Write in the number of hires who identify as male by category of employee.

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant Number of hires who identify as male

11. Please report the number of applicants fluent in a language other than English you have hired in the past two years, for each of the following staff categories. Write in the number of hires fluent in a language other than English by category of employee.

Admin. Director; Director/Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Early Childhood Assistant; School-Age Worker; School-Age Assistant

Number of hires fluent in a language other than English

12. If there were any applicants you hired who were fluent in a language other than English, please identify the language(s) they were/are fluent in: Spanish Yes No

Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin Yes No

Korean Yes No

Vietnamese Yes No

Japanese Yes No

 Polish Yes No

Russian Yes No

German Yes No French Yes No Farsi Yes No Hebrew Yes No Arabic Yes No Hindu/Urdu Yes No Other (please specify) ____________________ Yes No

13. Has the length of time to fill a vacancy changed over the last two years? For each category of staff, circle how long, on average, it took to fill the vacancy compared to two years ago.

Decreased by more than 2 weeks; Decreased by 1-2 weeks ; Stayed the same; Increased by 1-2 weeks; Increased by more than 2 weeks; Not applicable

Administrative Director

Director/Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher

Early Childhood Assistant

School-Age Worker

School-Age Assistant

14. Generally, how easy or difficult has it been for you to fill positions in the past two years? For each category of staff, how easy or difficult has it been to fill that vacancy? Circle the response that best reflects your opinion.

Very Easy; Somewhat Easy; Neither Easy nor Difficult; Somewhat Difficult; Very Difficult; Not Applicable

Administrative Director

Director/Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher

Early Childhood Assistant

School-Age Worker

School-Age Assistant

15. Have the staff you have hired in the past two years met or exceeded qualifications required in the DCFS licensing standards? For each category of staff, write in the number of staff you have hired who met, exceeded, or did not meet DCFS qualifications.

Administrative Director

Director/Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher

Early Childhood Assistant

School-Age Worker

School-Age Assistant

16. Have the qualifications of your new hires changed over the last two years? Circle the response that best reflects your opinion of the qualifications of staff you have hired in the past two years compared to those you hired more than two years ago.

Much Less Qualified; Somewhat Less Qualified; Same Qualifications; Somewhat More Qualified; Much More Qualified; Not Applicable

 Administrative Director

Director/Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher

Early Childhood Assistant

School-Age Worker

School-Age Assistant

17. There are many reasons why people may not be attracted to employment in the child care field. How important, on a scale from 1 = "Not Important" to 5 = "Very Important" do you think each of the following reasons is? Circle the response for each reason that best reflects your opinion.

Career opportunities in centers are not generally known by people choosing a profession.

Career opportunities are better in other professions or other child-oriented settings.

Child care is not seen as a professional career choice.

Salaries are low.

Benefits are not adequate.

Job openings in centers are not well advertised.

Child care is not respected as a profession. Other (please specify) ______________________

BENEFITS OFFERED TO STAFF

1. For each of the benefits listed below, please check whether your program offers that benefit to staff or whether that benefit is not offered to staff. Please respond based on what is offered/not offered for full-time staff and what is offered/not offered for part-time staff, as indicated below.

Free child care

Reduced child care fees

Paid sick days

Paid holidays

Paid personal/vacation days

 Paid time off for trainings

Periodic increase in wages based on performance

Yearly cost-of-living increase in wages

 Increase in wages based on educational advancement

Increase in wages based on attainment of industry-recognized credential (e.g., Gateways Credential, CDA, professional educator license)

Retirement or pension plan

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Payment/reimbursement for educational or training expenses (conference fees, tuition, travel costs, etc.)

Formal mentoring/coaching

Annual performance evaluation

Written personnel policies available to the employee

Separate staff area for breaks, lunch, staff resources

Secure place for teachers' belongings

COVID-19 IMPACT

1. 1. Have you had to close your whole facility for any period of time in the past two years due to COVID-19 related reasons, with the exception of March-June 2020? Yes No
2. 2. If you have had to close for COVID-19 related reasons, why? (Check all that apply) State/County/City Mandated Closure Potential COVID Exposure Staff Shortage Low Enrollment Cost Personal Reasons Other (please specify) ___________________________________________________

3. Are you taking any steps to prepare your business for future emergency/unplanned disruptions? (e.g., additional COVID-19 related mandated closures) Yes No

4. In the past two years, on average, how many days of emergency/reserve funds has your business had? (estimate is fine)

5. Have you needed to apply for COVID-19 Relief funding in order to remain open at any point in the past two years? Yes No

 6. If Yes, did you successfully receive (check all that apply):

Paycheck Protection Program Loan (Federal) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (Federal) Child Care Restoration Grant (State) Strengthen and Grow Child Care Grant (State) Child Care Workforce Bonus (State) Private Loan Other

7. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being 'not at all worried/stressed' and 10 being ' extremely worried/stressed,' how would you rate your level of concern over the past two years on the following issues:

Financial stability of program:

Safety of myself and other staff members:

Health and well-being of families we serve:

8. If you are interested in participating in a more in-depth survey regarding COVID-19 impacts, please leave your information below (all answers are kept confidential; your contact information will only be used to send a follow-up virtual survey):

Email: THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY! Please share any additional thoughts in the space provided below about staffing and compensation issues in the child care field.

Please return your completed questionnaire in the enclosed stamped envelope to:

Rachel Salrin

INCCRRA

1226 Towanda Plaza

Bloomington, IL 61701

If you have any questions, please call Betty Akamani at (309) 430-6380 or your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency.

Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies FISCAL YEAR 2023 ILLINOIS CHILD CARE SALARY AND STAFFING SURVEY

FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME PROVIDERS INSTRUCTIONS:

• Please read and follow all directions carefully for each question. For some questions, you will need to check the appropriate box; for some questions, you will need to circle the appropriate number; and for some questions, you will need to write in the appropriate number or information requested.
• Please DO NOT write your name anywhere on the questionnaire. We have given each survey a number to help us keep track of which providers have returned their forms and which need reminders. All information will be kept confidential.
• Please try to answer every question as accurately as possible, adding explanatory notes only when necessary.
• Please complete the questionnaire and return it in the enclosed, stamped envelope to:

Rachel Salrin

INCCRRA

1226 Towanda Plaza

Bloomington, IL 61701

 * Thank you for taking valuable time out of your busy schedule to complete this survey. The survey will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. It need not be completed at one sitting, but we ask that you return it to us within 2 weeks of receiving it. Your investment of time will contribute to knowledge that will improve the conditions and address the needs of all child care providers in Illinois.

Thank you again. Please return by June 30, 2023!

ENROLLMENT

1. What County does your program operate in?
2. During a typical week, what is the largest number of children in your care at any time - excluding your own children? 
3. Do you have children in your program whose primary language is not English? Yes No

If yes, please respond to the statement for each language option below:

In my program I have children whose primary language is…

Spanish

 Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin

Korean

Vietnamese

 Japanese

Polish

Russian

German

French

Farsi

Hebrew

Arabic

Hindu/Urdu

Other (please specify) ____________________

4. Please estimate the number of children in your program in each category. (These should add up to the total number of children you have enrolled)

 African American

Caucasian/White

Hispanic/Latino

Native American

Asian/Pacific Islander

Multi-Racial Other

5. Using the following scale, circle the response that best describes your enrollment pattern over the past two years.

There were always vacancies

There were often vacancies

There were sometimes vacancies

There were rarely vacancies

There were never vacancies

6. Using the following scale, circle the response that best describes how your enrollment pattern changed over the past two years.

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

7. In the past two years, how much impact has COVID-19 had on your program's enrollment patterns? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale, or if no impact, please check the box here:

No impact

Very Low Impact

Low Impact

Moderate Impact

High Impact

Very High Impact

8. Please compare your current enrollment to your pre-pandemic enrollment (e.g., November 2019).

My current enrollment is higher than my pre-pandemic enrollment

My current enrollment is lower than my pre-pandemic enrollment

My current enrollment is the same as my pre-pandemic enrollment

If your current enrollment is different than your pre-pandemic enrollment, please explain why.

9. Do you accept children in your program whose families receive IDHS and/or DCFS child care financial assistance (subsidy)?

Yes, and I have had subsidized children enrolled at some point in the last 2 years

Yes, but I have not had subsidized children enrolled in the last 2 years

No, I do not accept subsidized children

If yes, during a typical week, how many children whose families receive IDHS and/or DCFS child care financial assistance (subsidy) do you care for?

If yes, how many families in your program receive assistance paying for child care (funding from government, employers, or local agencies)? Do not include discounts that you offer to families.

If yes, do you charge parents more than the amount paid for with subsidy (including the state payment and parent co-payment)? Yes No

If no, why not? (select all that apply)

• don't know what the subsidy program is/I have never looked into it.
• don't qualify (i.e., Head Start, free program).

Subsidy families can't afford or won't pay the tuition balance.

I offer my own tuition break/scholarship to families in need.

There are no interested families/families in need.

• don't have time for paperwork or the paperwork is too complicated.
• need weekly operating funds.
• have no openings.

Other (please specify) _____________________________

10. Using the scale below, please circle the response that best indicates how the number of children whose families receive IDHS and/or DCFS child care financial assistance (subsidy) in your care has changed over the past two years:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

11. If you served, or have served in the past two years, children whose families receive child care financial assistance, how easy or difficult was it to collect the parents' share (co-payments, the difference between the state assistance and what you charge, etc.)?

Very Easy

Somewhat Easy

Neither Easy nor Difficult

Somewhat Difficult

Very Difficult

12. In the past two years, has it become easier, more difficult, or about the same, to collect the parents' share of child care cost for those families in your program who receive assistance paying for child care?

Much Easier

Somewhat Easier

About the Same

Somewhat More Difficult

Much More Difficult

ASSISTANTS

1. How many paid assistant caregivers do you have? (If you have no paid assistants, write "0")

If you do have paid assistants, how much, on average, do you pay your assistants? (per hour)

If you do have paid assistants, how many hours during an average week do assistants work with you?

2. How many unpaid assistant caregivers do you have? (If you have no unpaid assistants, write "0")

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

1. In the last year, did you participate in any training in early childhood education, child development, or health education from the following? (select all that apply)

Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) training

Local community training

Training at professional association meetings or conferences

Online training

If you selected any of the above, approximately how many hours of training did you attend last year?

2. In the last two years, have you completed any college coursework in early childhood education or child development? Yes No

If yes, how many credit hours did you complete in early childhood education or child development in the last two years?

Semester Hours ________

Quarter Hours ________

3. Do you feel you have adequate training opportunities? Yes ?No

4. What difficulties, if any, have you had trying to find appropriate training or educational opportunities? (select all that apply)

My community does not have enough courses or workshops.

The cost of training is too high.

The quality of training is not good.

Most opportunities are during the day so it is difficult for me to attend.

• am unable to take time away from my family to take more training.
• am unable to take time away from my work to take more training.

There is no reason to pursue more training.

Technology issues

Other (please specify) _____________________________________________

EARNINGS AND BENEFITS

1. What are your gross annual earnings (income before taxes and expenses, not money from Great START or Gateways Scholarship Program) from your child care program?
2. What are your annual expenses (such as food, utilities, insurance or materials) to provide care, not including your wages?
3. What are your net annual earnings (income after taxes and expenses, not money from Great START or Gateways Scholarship Program) from your child care program after deducting costs of providing care? If the amount is negative, (if you spend more on expenses than you receive in earnings), be sure to include a negative sign ( - ) in front of the amount.
4. In the past two years, how had your gross (before taxes and deductions) annual earnings changed? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

5. In the past two years, how had your annual expenses changed? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

6. In the past two years, how had your net (your "take home") annual earnings changed? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale:

Decreased Greatly

Decreased Somewhat

Stayed About the Same

Increased Somewhat

Increased Greatly

7. In the past two years, how much impact has COVID-19 had on your program's funding/finances? Please respond by circling your response on the following scale, or if no impact, please check the box here:

No impact

Very Low Impact

Low Impact

Moderate Impact

High Impact

Very High Impact

8. On average, how many hours per week were you paid for taking care of children (not counting your own children)?

9. On average, how many hours per week did you spend on different aspects of your child care business after the children leave or before they arrive (such as preparing food for the children, shopping, cleaning, record keeping, or preparing education activities)?

10. How many weeks per year do you operate?

11. Please respond to the statement with each option below:

Are you paid when…

Children are absent because they are sick? Yes No

Children are on vacation? Yes No

You are closed for holidays? Yes No

You are closed for vacation days? Yes No

You are closed for sick days? Yes No

You are closed for training days? Yes No

You are closed for other reasons? Yes No

If yes, please specify the other reasons _________________________________

12. Do you charge extra when children are picked up late or dropped off early? Yes No

If yes, approximately how much per minute?

13. Do you close for any of the following reasons below? (If yes, please also write in the number of days per year you area closed for that reason.)

Holidays? Yes, ______ days per year No

Vacation? Yes, ______ days per year No

Sick Days? Yes, ______ days per year No

Training? Yes, ______ days per year No

Other Days Off? Yes, ______ days per year No

14. Do you participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program? Yes No

15. Do you contribute to Social Security and Medicare for yourself? Yes No

16. In the last year, have you set aside any savings for your retirement? Yes No

17. Are you currently covered by any kind of health insurance or medical plan? Yes No

If yes, who pays for your health insurance? (select one)

My spouse's employer pays 100%

My spouse's employer pays a partial amount

• purchase my own health insurance
• have Medicaid/Medicare

Other (please specify) ________________________________

18. In the past two years, have you received any of the following types of financial assistance?

TANF Yes No

Medicaid/Medicare for yourself Yes No

Medicaid for your child(ren) Yes No

Subsidized housing/Section 8 Yes No

Food stamps/SNAP Yes No

FamilyCare for yourself Yes No

AllKids for your child(ren) Yes No

COVID relief funding Yes No

Other (please specify) __________________ Yes No

19. Do you have any other paid jobs, in addition to providing child care in your home? Yes No

20. If yes, when did you start your other paid job(s)?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic

21. Does at least one other adult in your household contribute to your household income? Yes No

PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

1. Do you have at least one other child care provider you can talk to if you have a problem in your program? Yes No
2. Approximately how many child care professionals in addition to your immediate staff did you speak to last week? (select one)

0

1-2

3-5

6-9

10 or more

3. Approximately how many child care professionals do you know personally, in addition to your immediate staff? (select one)

0

1-2

3-5

6-9

10 or more

4. In the past two years, have you contacted your local child care resource and referral agency for help or information when you have had a question or problem? Yes No

5. Are you a member of a child care providers' organization? Yes No

6. Have you heard of the following programs and services?

Gateways to Opportunity Registry Yes No

Great START Yes No

Gateways to Opportunity Scholarship Program Yes No

Gateways to Opportunity Credentials (i.e., Illinois Director Credential, ECE Credential, Infant Toddler Credential) Yes No

Professional Development Advisor (PDA) Program Yes No

ExceleRate Illinois Yes No

Consultants/Specialists available through your local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency (i.e., Mental Health Consultant, Quality Specialist, Infant Toddler Specialist)

Yes No

Online trainings through iLearning Yes No

7. How much longer do you think you will continue to offer child care in your home?

Number of years _________ I don't know

8. In the past two years, have you considered no longer providing care? Yes No

If you have considered no longer providing care in the past two years, why? How important, on a scale from 1 = "Not Important" to 5 = "Very Important" are each of the following in your consideration for no longer providing care?

Dissatisfied with salary

Dissatisfied with benefits

Want to go back to school

Working hours are too long

Not enough work hours

Enrollments are too low

Enrollments are too high

Frustration with parents

Too little respect for what child care providers do

Health problems

Moving/Relocating

Too much stress

Too little time off

Isolation

Economic stresses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic

Physical stresses/health issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic

Retirement

Other personal reason(s)

Other reason (please specify) _________________

If you have considered no longer providing care in the past two years, how important, on a scale from 1 = "Not Important" to 5 = "Very Important" would each of the following be to make you want to continue providing child care?

Help with problem solving

More contact with other providers

A substitute to allow me time off

Being part of a professional organization

Access to family child care training

Lower enrollments

Higher enrollments

Higher income

Better benefits

More time off

More work hours

Other reason (please specify) _________________

9. In the past two years, have opportunities for child care providers become better, stayed the same, or become worse? (select one)

Better

Stayed the Same

Worse

Please explain your selection:

10. Rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements about providing child care by circling the number that best corresponds with your opinion. Note that 1 = "Strongly Disagree" and 5 = "Strongly Agree".

• consider myself an early childhood educator/professional.
• consider myself a small business owner.

Getting more training helps me become a stronger professional.

Because I am my own boss, I can set my rates and policies to meet my needs.

• would like more education/training related to family child care.
• provide child care to earn an income
• provide child care to stay at home with my children/grandchildren.
• enjoy caring for and teaching children.
• like being in business for myself.

COVID-19 IMPACT

1. Have you had to close your whole facility for any period of time in the last two years due to COVID-19 related reasons, with the exception of March-June 2020? Yes No
2. If you have had to close for COVID-19 related reasons, why? (Check all that apply)

State/County/City Mandated Closure

Potential COVID Exposure

Staff Shortage

Low Enrollment

Cost

Personal Reasons

Other (please specify) ___________________________________________________

3. Are you taking any steps to prepare your business for future emergency/unplanned disruptions? (e.g., additional COVID-19 related mandated closures) Yes No

4. In the last two years, on average, how many days of emergency/reserve funds has your business had? (estimate is fine)

5. Have you needed to apply for COVID-19 Relief funding in order to remain open at any point in the last two years? Yes No

6. If Yes, did you successfully receive (check all that apply):

Paycheck Protection Program Loan (Federal)  Economic Injury Disaster Loan (Federal)

Child Care Restoration Grant (State)  Strengthen and Grow Child Care Grant

(State)  Child Care Workforce Bonus (State)  Private Loan  Other

7. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being 'not at all worried/stressed' and 10 being 'the most worried/stressed I have ever been,' how would you rate your level of concern on the following issues:

Financial stability of program:

Safety of myself and other staff members:

Health and well-being of families we serve:

8. If you are interested in participating in a more in-depth survey regarding COVID-19 impacts, please leave your information below (all answers are kept confidential; your contact information will only be used to send a follow-up virtual survey):

Email:

PERSONAL PROFILE

1. How old are you? (select one)

Under 20 years

40-49 years

20-29 years

50-59 years

30-39 years

60 years +

2. What is your gender? (select one)

Female

Male

Non-binary

Prefer to self-describe _________________________________

3. How do you identify your race/ethnic? (select one)

African American

Asian/Pacific Islander

Caucasian/White

Multi-Racial

Hispanic/Latino

Other

Native American

4. Is your primary language English? Yes No

If no, which language is your primary language? (select one)

Spanish

German

Chinese dialect: Cantonese or Mandarin

French

Korean

Farsi

Vietnamese

Hebrew

Japanese

Arabic

Polish

Hindu/Urdu

Russian

Other (please specify) _________________

5. How long have you been taking care of children in your home for pay? (years)

6. Have you ever been employed as a child care center teacher, child care center assistant, or child care center director or as a public school teacher? Yes No

If yes, for how many years?

7. How long has your program (site) been in operation?

1 year or less

2-3 years

4-6 years

7-10 years

Over 10 years

THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY!

Please share any additional thoughts in the space provided below about staffing and compensation issues in the child care field.

Please return your completed questionnaire in the enclosed stamped envelope to:

Rachel Salrin

INCCRRA

1226 Towanda Plaza

Bloomington, IL 61701

If you have any questions, please call Betty Akamani at (309) 430-6380 or your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency.

Appendix B: Child Care Resource and Referral System Map

Illinois Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Agencies

SDA 1 YWCA Northwestern Illinois Child Care Solutions (Rockford) 888-225-7072 www.ywcanwil.org

SDA 2 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care (DeKalb) 800-848-8727 & (McHenry) 866-347-2277 www.four-c.org

SDA 3 YWCA Lake County CCR&R (Gurnee) 844-221-2227 www.ywcachicago.org

SDA 4 YWCA CCR&R (Addison) 844-221-2227 www.ywcachicago.org

SDA 5 Joilet CCR&R (Joilet) 800-552-5526 www.childcarehelp.com

SDA 6 Illinois Action for Children (Chicago) 312-823-1100 www.actforchildren.org

SDA 7 Child Care Resource & Referral of Midwestern Illinois (Moline) 866-370-4556 www.childcareillinois.org

SDA 8 SAL Child Care Connection (Peoria) 800-421-4371 www.salchildcareconnection.org

SDA 9 CCR&RN (Bloomington) 800-437-8256 www.ccrrn.com

SDA 10 Child Care Resource Service University of Illinois (Urbana)

SDA 11 CCR&R Eastern Illinois University (Charleston) 800-545-7439 https://www.eiu.edu/ccrr/

SDA 12 West Central Child Care Connection (Quincy) 800-782-7318 www.wcccc.com

SDA 13 Community Child Care Connection (Springfield) 800-676-2805 www.4childcare.org

SDA 14 Children's Home + Aid (Granite City) 800-467-9200 www.childrenshomeandaid.org

SDA 15 Project CHILD (Mt. Vernon) 800-362-7257 www.rlc.edu/projectchild

SDA 16 CCR&R John Logan College (Carterville) 800-548-5563 www.jalc.edu/ccrr

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SDAs 3 and 4 were combined for this report.

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Appendix C: Licensing Standards for Center Staffing

From Licensing Standards for Day Care Centers April 1, 2010 - P.T. 2010.04

TITLE 89: SOCIAL SERVICES

CHAPTER III: DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES

SUBCHAPTER e: REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE

PART 407 LICENSING STANDARDS FOR DAY CARE CENTERS

Section 407.130 Qualifications for Child Care Director

a) Day care centers licensed for more than 50 children shall employ a full-time child care director to be on site in a non-teaching capacity. The director may be on site in a teaching capacity at the following times:

1. During the first hour and last hour of a program that operates 10 or more hours per day; or
2. When attendance falls below 50 children.

b) Day care centers licensed for 50 or fewer children, or half-day programs with children attending no more than 3 consecutive hours per day regardless of capacity, may employ a child care director who also serves as a member of the child care staff.

1. When the director serves in both capacities, he or she must meet the qualifications of both the director position and the teaching position.
2. When the director attends to non-teaching responsibilities, his or her group must be supervised by a person qualified to be in charge of a group.

c) The child care director shall be at least 21 years of age.

d) The child director shall have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (GED).

e) In addition to meeting the requirements of Section 407.100, the child care director of a facility serving the same number of groups of pre-school and school-age children or more groups of pre-school children than groups of school-age children shall have achieved:

1. Sixty semester or 90 quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or university with 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development from birth to age 6; or
2. Two years (3120 clock hours) of child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten, or licensed day care center, 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of college credits with ten semester or 15 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, and proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university until two years of college credit have been achieved. A total of 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development is required to be obtained within the total two years of college credits; or
3. Completion of a credentialing program approved in accordance with Appendix G of this Part, completion of 12 semester or 18 quarter hours in courses related to child care and/or child development from birth to age 6 at an accredited college or university, and 2 years (3120 clock hours) child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten or licensed day care center.

f) In addition to meeting the requirements of Section 407.100, the child care director of a facility serving more groups of school-age children than groups of pre-school children shall have achieved:

1. 1) Sixty semester or 90 quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or university with 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related to child care and/or child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping, or other related fields, including courses related to school-age children; or
2. 2) Two years (3120 clock hours) of child development experience in a recreational program, kindergarten, or licensed day care center serving school-age children, or licensed exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school, 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of college credits with 10 semester or 15 quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields, and proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university until two years of college credit have been achieved. A total of 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related

directly to child care and/or child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields, including courses related to school-age children, is required to be obtained within the total two years of college credits.

g) Completion of a training program accredited by the American Montessori Society or Association of Montessori International may be substituted for the courses directly related to child care and/or child development required by this Section. Persons holding a Montessori pre-primary credential may serve as director to children through age six. Persons holding a Montessori primary or elementary credential may serve as director to children six years of age or older.

h) Persons who were deemed qualified to serve as a child care director prior to January 1, 1985, continue to be deemed qualified for their position.

i) When a program serves only school-age children and meets the criteria for Section 407.90(c), qualifications for the school-age director responsible for multiple sites and the site coordinators shall be as follows:

1. The school-age director and each site coordinator shall be at least 21 years of age.
2. The school-age director shall meet both the following requirements for education and experience:

1. Sixty semester or 90 quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or university, with 18 semester or 27 quarter hours in courses related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields; and
2. At least 1560 clock hours of child development experience in a recreational program or a licensed day care center serving school-age children.

3) The school-age site coordinators must meet one of the following qualifications:

1. A) Thirty semester or 45 quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or university with 12 semester or 18 quarter hours related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields and 750 clock hours of experience in a recreational program or a licensed day care center serving school-age children or in a license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school; or
2. B) 1560 clock hours of experience in a recreational program or licensed day care center serving school-age children or license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school and either 6 semester hours or 9 quarter hours of credit from an accredited college or university related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields.

j) A staff member who meets the qualifications for a day care center director shall be designated to assume decision-making responsibility whenever the child care director is off-site. A record of employees who meet the qualifications for director and who have been designated to assume decision-making responsibility in the director's absence shall be kept at the site. All day care staff shall be informed of the designated director at each occurrence. The person designated as alternate director may be in the classroom and counted in the staff/child ratio under the following circumstances:

1. When the center meets the criteria of Section 407.130(b); or
2. During the first hour and last hour of a program that operated 10 or more hours per day; or
3. When attendance falls below 50 children.

k) The child care director must successfully complete a basic training course of 6 or more clock hours on providing care to children with disabilities that has been approved by the Department. The day care center shall have on file a certificate attesting to the training of the child care director.

1. Persons employed as a child care director shall complete this training within 36 months from date appointed as child care director.
2. A child care director who has completed training prior to employment may have that training approved as meeting the provisions of this subsection (k). A certificate of training completion and a description of the course content must be submitted to the Department for approval.
3. A child care director who obtains approved training and moves from one day care facility to another shall not be required to take another training course as long as the child care director can provide documentation in the form of a certificate that the training was completed.
4. A training program approved by the Department in providing care for children with disabilities must include the following components:

1. Introduction to Inclusive Child Care;
2. Understanding Child Development in Relation to Disabilities;
3. Building Relationships With Families;
4. Preparing for and Including Young Children in Child Care Setting;
5. Community Services for Young Children with Disabilities (including Early Intervention Services).
6. By July 1, 2017, the following education requirements for licensed day care center staff shall be met.

1. All new child care directors hired on or after July 1, 2017 shall have a minimum of an associate degree in child development or early childhood education, or the equivalent (defined as 64 semester hours in any discipline with a minimum of 21 semester hours of college credit in child development, early childhood education or early childhood special education) and either a Gateways to Opportunity Level I Illinois Director Credential (see 89 Ill. Adm. Code 50.720(b) and http://www.ilgateways.com/en/illinois-director-credential-idc) or 3 semester hours of college credit or 3 points of credential approved training in administration, leadership or management.
2. Effective July 1, 2017, licensed child care centers must have an employee on site at all times with a minimum of an associate degree in child development or early childhood education or the equivalent (defined as 64 semester hours in any discipline with a minimum of 21 semester hours of college credit in child development, early childhood education or early childhood special education).

m) Directors shall submit to their local licensing office a certificate of completion of lead safety training consisting of instruction in the following topics:

1. Mitigation plan strategies for test results of 2.01 ppb or above; and
2. Impact of lead exposure.

(Source: Amended at 43 Ill. Reg. 224, effective January 1, 2019)

Section 407.140 Qualifications for Early Childhood Teachers and School-Age Workers

1. Early childhood teachers and school-age workers shall be at least 19 years of age.
2. Early childhood teachers and school-age workers shall have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (GED).
3. In addition to meeting the requirements of Section 407.100, the early childhood teacher responsible for a group of children that includes infants, toddler or preschooler-age children shall have achieved:

1. Sixty semester hours (or 90 quarter hours) of credits from an accredited college or university with six semester or nine quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, from birth to age six; or
2. One year (1560 clock hours) of child development experience in a nursery school, kindergarten, or licensed day care center and 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of credits from an accredited college or university with six semester or nine quarter hours in courses related directly to child care and/or child development, from birth to age six; or
3. Completion of credentialing programs approved by the Department in accordance with Appendix G of this Part.

d) School-age workers shall be at least 19 years of age and at least five years older than the oldest child with whom they work.

e) In addition to meeting the requirements of Section 407.100, the newly employed school-age worker responsible for a group of school-age children shall have achieved:

1. Thirty semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of credit from an accredited college or university with six semester hours (or nine quarter hours) related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping, or other related fields; or
2. 1560 clock hours of experience in a recreational program or licensed day care center serving school-age children or a license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school, and six semester hours (or nine quarter hours) of credit from an accredited college or university related to school-age child care, child development, elementary education, physical education, recreation, camping or other related fields; or
3. A high school diploma or equivalency certificate plus 3120 clock hours of experience in a recreational program, kindergarten, or licensed day care center serving school-age children or a license exempt school-age child care program operated by a public or private school.

f) Completion of a training program accredited by the American Montessori Society or Association Montessori International may be substituted for the courses directly related to child care and/or child development required by this Section. Persons holding a Montessori pre-primary credential may supervise children through age six. Persons holding a Montessori primary or elementary credential may supervise children six years of age or older.

g) Persons who were deemed qualified as a child care worker or school-age worker prior to January 1, 1985, continue to be deemed qualified as an early childhood teacher or school-age worker.

h) Early childhood teachers and school-age workers shall be responsible for the planning and supervision of a group of children. Early childhood workers and school-age workers shall also be responsible for supervising persons assigned to assist their group who are not similarly qualified.

(Source: Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 3011, effective February 15, 2004)

Section 407.150 Qualifications for Early Childhood Assistants and School-Age Worker

Assistants

1. Early childhood assistants shall meet the requirements of Section 407.100, with the exception of subsection (b).
2. Early childhood and school-age assistants shall have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate (GED).
3. Early childhood assistants shall work under the direct supervision of an early childhood teacher or school-age worker and shall not assume full responsibility for a group of children, except as allowed by Section 407.190(e)(2).
4. School-age assistants shall work under the direct supervision of a school-age worker and shall not assume full responsibility for a group of children, except as allowed by Section 407.90(e)(2).

(Source: Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 4700, effective March 22, 2010)

Appendix D: Acknowledgements

We gratefully appreciate the support of the Illinois Department of Human Services and its Division of Early Childhood for the opportunity to conduct these analyses, and for proofreading earlier drafts of this report and making important editorial comments.