A lack of good childcare is a major obstacle for mothers moving from welfare into the workforce, says the Child Care Resource Service, a statewide referral network.
In a recent month, more than 2,000 parents requested available state subsidies for childcare, with more than 1,000 being put on the waiting list, says Dale Montanelli, associate professor in the Department of Human and Community Developmentat the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Finding quality childcare for infants, after-school care or overnight care for mothers working night shifts is extremely difficult, says Montanelli.
“For women who are the working poor or are leaving welfare so they can afford to start work, it doesn’t work if there isn’t a safe, healthy place to take children,” Montanelli says. “We have a severe shortage of childcare and that is a crisis; we don’t have time to waste.”
CCRS is looking for qualified caregivers for their programs. Those outside of Chicago should call Steve BeMiller, the director of the statewide referral network, at (309) 829-5327. In Chicago, CCRS is a cooperative venture of the Day Care Action Council and can be reached at (773) 561-7900) or by calling Childcare Initiatives of the Hull House Association, (773) 687-4000.
