Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

About Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies centers its funding on statewide child care infrastructure rather than single organizations, with two very large annual distributions to "Day Care" providers accounting for most of the recent grant dollars shown. In 2025, the largest listed grant was $246,092,217 to 4,454 day care providers, followed by $2,944,469 to 39 local collaboration grantees. That pattern fits an intermediary funder that works through provider networks and local partners to strengthen early childhood care and education across Illinois. The foundation’s stated role is to serve as an engine for quality care and education, convening leaders and partnering with stakeholders to advance innovation, leadership, equity, access, and quality. Its active programs point to practical support for the field: scholarship funding for practitioners, wage supplements for retention, and workforce grants tied to early childhood settings. The result is a grantmaker focused less on one-off project philanthropy and more on the systems that shape child care access, workforce stability, and program quality.

What Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies Funds

Workforce support appears in several program areas. Gateways Scholarship Program pays a percentage of tuition and fees for eligible practitioners in early care and education or school-age care, helping with credential attainment. Great START, the Strategy to Attract and Retain Teachers, provides wage supplements for practitioners who pursue higher education and remain in their current jobs. Quality improvement is another clear emphasis. The foundation’s focus areas include quality rating and improvement systems, and its program taxonomy references ExceleRate Illinois and Quality Counts. It also supports child care data collection and research, which aligns with its stated role in advancing innovation and evidence for the field. Access to care shows up through Smart Start Child Care, which provides funding support to increase access to high-quality child care services across Illinois. Smart Start Workforce Grants extend that access work by supporting workforce development and retention in Illinois early childhood settings.

How Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies Gives