FISHER, Ill. — Heather Thompson started making calls to find good daycare for her future baby when she was five months pregnant. The rural mother-to-be called dozens of babysitters and childcare providers, trying to find a spot in Champaign County.
Day Care
Rural child care providers fill need
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Playing outdoors is popular with preschoolers Lydia, Kylie, Brynn and toddler Royce, in the sandbox at their rural daycare in Fisher, Ill.
According to research by the Center for American Progress, 59 percent of people in Illinois live in a child care desert. Orange indicates child care deserts.
Heather Thompson now works contently at Growmark in Bloomington, with photos of her son Abe at her workstation knowing the 1-year-old is in good hands. She lives in Mahomet her husband works in Monticello; childcare for Abe is in Fisher and she works in Bloomington.
Reid Thompson and his one-year-old son Abe look at a cornfield. While Reid and Heather work in agricultural jobs that include a commute, they are happy they found good childcare.
Daycare provider, Deborah Smith-Shield reads to preschoolers, Weston, Joel and Lydia at her Children’s Country Cottage daycare in rural east central Illinois.
A renovated shed makes a perfect play area for preschoolers Lydia, Brynn, Joel and Westin at rural daycare of Deborah Smith-Shield in Fisher Illinois.
The colorful balls are popular at Deborah Smith-Shield’s daycare in Fisher. Abe, Royce and Olivia – all one year old now, have attended the daycare since they were babies.