CHICAGO—María Reynoso’s day-to-day more or less resembles that of a child. Since 2001, she’s passed her days playing, painting and dancing with the kids who attend her home daycare in Berwyn, west of Chicago. But Reynoso doesn’t know how much longer this routine will last. Her clients are struggling to pay for her services, and the number of kids she watches has dropped in recent years.
“That’s what the parents tell me,” Reynoso said. “‘I cannot afford to pay you and pay the rent, so I’ll ask my parents or some other relative to watch them.'”
A recent study by the Center for American Progress found that Illinois Latinos are disproportionately affected by a nationwide shortage of childcare options for children under 5, especially in Chicagoland.
Some researchers believe that few formal care options exist in predominantly Latino areas because there isn’t sufficient demand due to cultural factors, such as the prevalence of care by family members. Others, however, argue that Latino parents often ask for help from relatives merely out of necessity in the absence of accessible and convenient options.
“It’s kind of a chicken and egg question, I think,” said Rasheed Malik, policy analyst at the Center for American Progress. “We have been sold a narrative over time, going back decades, that Hispanic families were less inclined to use child care outside of the home, that they were more interested in having family members help care for the kids or have Mom or Dad stay home with the kids.”
In her community there is a large demand for child care, Reynoso said. However, her enrollment has declined since the state changed its eligibility requirements for child care subsidies in 2015, when the government failed to pass a state budget. Now, many parents who used to qualify for assistance no longer do. They must pay out of pocket if they want to send their kids to daycare.
“So, now, with things as they are, it’s a bit uncertain if we’re going to close,” Reynoso said. “I’ve even considered closing my daycare–if I should look for a job elsewhere, but I haven’t made that decision. If I don’t get more kids, or I remain without that help, that will be my future.”
BY THE NUMBERS
2.1 million
People in Chicago who live in a child care desert
150,000
Children in Chicago under the age of five who reside in a child care desert
$14,829
The average cost of full-time center-based infant care per year in Illinois
86.4%
The percentage of Latino Illinoisans living in a child care desert
Source: “Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Centers by ZIP Code in 8 States”, Center for American Progres
