CHICAGO (WLS) — Child care advocates in Chicago are demanding pay raises from Mayor Brandon Johnson.
They say higher pay will mean more centers can stay open.
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Child care advocates delivered over 1,800 signatures to the mayor’s office Wednesday, demanding higher pay for workers.
They say that pay is directly tied to the tens of thousands of children who lack access to licensed care.
“I lost my home to foreclosure after 17 years,” child care worker Toni Frazier said.
Childcare workers are noticing a concerning trend in the industry – many are leaving their jobs due to low wages. They point out that the responsibilities of a teacher at a community-based childcare center are very similar to those in a public school setting.
“Teachers in these centers may be doing almost identical work to their counterparts in Chicago Public Schools, but they are earning significantly less, somewhere between 30% to 50% less,” explained Brynn Seibert from the Service Employees International Union.
The group of child care workers and organizations at City Hall said the loss of workforce has led to the closing of several child care centers.
The Chicago business licenses database reveals a worrying statistic: there has been a 32% reduction in the number of licensed childcare centers in Chicago. The data shows a decline from over 800 active licenses at the end of 2020 to just under 600 active licenses currently available.
“I was getting pretty sad and disappointed that I couldn’t find something nearby,” parent Rocio Garcia said.
Garcia said she thought it would be easy to find a day care for her daughter within her community, but found most centers had either shut down or had long waitlists.
“I had to go outside of my own neighborhood: 20 minutes away. That’s 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back, 40 minutes every single day, and that’s not including traffic,” Garcia said.
“Low wages for child care workers also has a huge impact on families’ ability to access child care,” Seibert said.
They’re calling for change now.
ABC7 Chicago did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment from the mayor’s office.
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