(WSIL) -- Costs of childcare are up across the country.
News 3 spoke with some local experts who are seeing the impacts first hand.
"There have been struggles," said Lee Eklund, director of Malone's Early Learning Center.
Eklund said that he has seen first hand the rising cost of childcare.
"What we charge is state rates and the state in the last three or four years has raised the rates significantly from, just four or five years ago for an infant it was, under $45 a day and now it's $57 a day. " said Eklund.
Robin's Nest in Marion sees a lot of traffic during the weekdays. We spoke to one parent who said that she's seen prices rise several times.
"We've been here since April of 2022. And I'd say within that time span we've changed like three times," said Heather Turner, a parent from Robin's Nest.
The director of Robin's Nest is Jena Parson. She said it's not just the rates that are changing but, those who qualify for help from state agencies are also affected.
"When you talk about state agencies that do help for childcare, for families, that would qualify. they raise their rates and, you know, we have to make sure that our rates are also in line with those," said Parson.
"CCR&R requirements, I don't feel like they've been brought up to the year and the economic times that we have right now," said Turner.
According to the Illinois Department of Human Services the last time the income guidelines were updated was in July of 2022.
"There has been struggles, you know, especially for those parents that are just over the income eligibility guidelines for the, childcare assistance program. You know, if they make two or $300 more than what the program allows them to make, then that's a difference of if they have an infant, they're gonna pay $1,140 a month compared to if they were on the CCAP program, it would be more like 400 or less a month," said Eklund.
Although prices are going up, Parson tells us that education for her children is still the top priority.
"Everybody's always needing childcare. One of the things that we really are, about is education. We don't look at it as, we are a daycare center. We are an educational, facility. Just because prices rise doesn't mean that people don't need childcare because they do need childcare," said Parson.
