Child care isn't cheap in Cook County

Affordable, reliable services are hard to find in Chicago area, report says By Carole Sharwarko, staff writer Parents in Cook County pay as much for child care as for their mortgage, according to a report due out today by an Illinois child advocacy group. And the group's president said the government doesn't do enough to help parents, some of whom place their children in someone else's hands only to commute to low-paying jobs. • By The Numbers: Child care costs • Read the report The report reflects a backward attitude among federal officials, Illinois Action for Children president Maria Whalen said. "We as a country are Third World in our approach to child care," Whalen said. "Most industrialized countries have the realization that quality child care contributes to the overall health of their communities." Whalen's group... [read full story]