About Voices for Illinois Children
Voices for Illinois Children works as a catalyst to
improve the lives of children of all ages throughout
our state.
For 30 years, we have helped parents, community
leaders, and policymakers understand and respond to
the issues facing children and families. Together, we
have affected the well-being of an entire generation of
Illinois children through achievements in early
childhood education and care, K12 education, health
care, childrens mental health, child welfare, family
economic security, out-of-school time, and youth
development.
We are committed to the well-being of every child. All
children, regardless of circumstances, are vital to the
preservation of a vigorous democracy. We believe
children do well when they grow up in strong,
supportive families, and that families do well in
supportive communities. We believe in focusing on
preventing problems by employing comprehensive,
well-researched strategies to improve childrens
education and health care and to strengthen their
families economic security and the social services on
which they depend.
Voices raises awareness of the needs facing children
and families, builds strong partnerships focused on
solutions, convenes stakeholders to explore data,
generates public support and political will for needed
improvements, and works to ensure implementation
of strong policies and programs.
OUR MISSION
Voices for Illinois Children is an independent
advocacy organization that champions strong public
policies and investments for all children in our state.
About Illinois Kids Count
For 25 years, Illinois Kids Count has been a project
of Voices for Illinois Children and a part of the Annie
E. Casey Foundations KIDS COUNT network to
track the status of Americas children on a state-by-
state basis. Through Illinois Kids Count reports,
media events, statewide and local symposia,
legislator forums, and other activities, Voices for
Illinois Children assesses the challenges facing
children and families and seeks to guide policy trends
and goals on behalf of children.
The Illinois Kids Count report uses the best available
data to measure the educational, social and
emotional, economic, and physical well-being of
children. By providing policymakers and the broader
public with benchmarks of child well-being, Illinois
Kids Count enriches local and state discussions of
ways to build and secure better futures for all
children. Illinois Kids Count monitors child outcomes
and contributes to public accountability for those
outcomes, resulting in a model for data-driven
advocacy for children, their families, and their
communities.
Please visit our website at www.voices4kids.org
to download a copy of the Illinois Kids Count 2017
report as well as county-level fact sheets.
Dear Friends,

For 30 years, Voices for Illinois Children has been committed to building better lives for our states children, families, and
communities. Each year, we assess how our efforts are improving the social, economic, emotional, educational, and physical well-
being and future opportunities for our students.

The good news is we are making progress, but there is still a lot of work to do.

As our children grow up, we tell them that in the United States of America, you can be anything you want if you study and work hard.
But is that really true? Increasingly, our country is not the land of opportunity for all its the land of opportunity for the advantaged.
For far too many of our children, their outcomes are predetermined by their familys income, their neighborhood, their religion, their
native land or language, or the color of their skin. And rather than reducing inequalities, far too many schools make them worse.

The data in this report tells a strong story about achievement and opportunity gaps. It also illustrates how we got here: by adults
making choices to give some children less of what they need to be successful students. More often than not, we give low-income and
minority students in Illinois less effective teachers, less experienced principals, a less rigorous curriculum, and fewer resources. And
then we shrug our shoulders and say those kids just cant be expected to be high achievers. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer.
There is no single policy or program that will ensure success for every student. If we want Illinois to be the best state for all children to
grow up in, then we must change these systemic inequities.

As this report underscores, we must take a careful, thoughtful approach to structuring and coordinating our state systems and
agencies so that they meet the needs of every child. Because of the tremendous positive impact that schools can have on students
and the potential for reducing inequalities, we must continue to expect all Illinois schools to prepare every child for the 21st century
workforce. Schools, districts, and policymakers should be expected to critically assess whether every student has a well-resourced
school, effective teachers and leaders, a rigorous curriculum, and a positive school climate with wraparound supports that
meaningfully engages parents.

We must hold our schools to high standards, but also must not expect them to be solely responsible for fixing the detrimental effects
of decades of inequitable policies and practices. Great schools leverage their partnerships with families, communities, and human
service organizations so that their students have access to food, health care, and other services, but they shouldnt bear that
responsibility alone. All of us, from families and community members, to advocates, to state leaders, have a role to play in ensuring
that our children have what they need to be ready learners. As a state, it should be our goal to enact smart public policies and invest
wisely in programs so that each and every child grows up to lead a happy, healthy, and productive life.

I am confident we will continue to improve. There are so many people within, and outside of, this organization working to be voices for
those who cannot speak for themselves. I want to thank not only the dedicated staff of Voices for Illinois Children, but also every
supporter who has ever donated to help advance our cause, every individual who has ever volunteered with us, every person who
has answered our call for activism, and every child who maintains hope that we, as adults, will put them first.

We have more, and even tougher work ahead but Voices is committed to remaining energized, resilient, and dedicated to fighting for
public investment in one of our states most valuable resources: our children.

Tasha Green Cruzat

President, Voices for Illinois Children
Illinois Kids Count 2017
Table of Contents
Page 3 Overview

Pages 45 Indicators of Child Well-Being

Pages 67 Demographics of Children in Illinois

Pages 89 Access Indicators: Early Childhood

Page 10 Challenges Ahead: Early Childhood

Page 11 K-12 Education and the Achievement Gap

Pages 1213 K-12 Indicators: English Language Arts and Math Performance, High School Graduation Rates

Supporting Students and Schools

Page 14 Funding Schools Equitably
Page 15 Increasing School Breakfast Participation
Page 16 Keeping Children in the Classroom by Reducing Absenteeism and Disciplining More Fairly
Page 17 Giving Children Additional Supports by Valuing After School Programs and Addressing Trauma

Pages 1819 Postsecondary Indicators: Access, Readiness, and Completion

Page 20 Removing Barriers to Postsecondary Success

Page 21 How Do We Build a Future for Illinois Where Every Child is a High Achiever?

Pages 2224 Endnotes and Technical Notes

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Using Data to Inform Conversations About What Children Need

It is our expectation that with access to good data, policymakers and community members will be better equipped to make
sound, informed decisions about the unmet needs of Illinois children, the root causes of disparities that exist between
groups, and the impact of policies and programs.

For additional data beyond whats included in this report, please visit
the Annie E. Casey Foundations KIDS COUNT Data Center at
datacenter.kidscount.org/data#IL. The Data Center is an
online, searchable database with national, state, county, and city
data on key indicators of childrens well-being. This powerful tool
allows users to compare data across states, counties, and years and
create customized tables, graphs, and maps.
Overview

Illinois Kids Count 2017 examines indicators of education from birth through postsecondary. To build a future for Illinois where every
child is a high achiever, we must reduce systemic inequities and increase support for the students who need it most.

Demographics. Child demographics in Illinois have shifted over time, with Hispanic/Latino children comprising a larger proportion of
the states child population than in the past. Additionally, over half a million Illinois children live in poverty, an increase from fifteen
years ago. Child poverty rates vary across counties, ranging from a low of 6 percent in Monroe county to a high of 52 percent in
Alexander county. Disparities across racial and ethnic groups show that Black and Hispanic children are more likely to live in
communities of significant disadvantage than White children. This has been a result of years of systemic disinvestment.

Early Childhood Education. Recognizing that learning starts at birth, Illinois has committed to providing targeted supports to families
of children under the age of three that aim to improve our youngest childrens health, school readiness, and attachment to parents. Yet
only about 3 percent of our states infants and toddlers are served by this program. In contrast, Illinois has been a national leader in
expanding access to preschool. About 34 percent of our three- and four-year-olds are accessing state or federally funded preschool. In
continuing our commitment to preschool expansion, Illinois must address several crucial issues, such as teacher pay and site capacity.
Median preschool teacher earnings in Illinois are below $30,000 per year, contributing to an attrition rate of 26 percent. Site capacity
across the state decreased by more than 400 sites from 2010 to 2015, resulting in almost 15,600 fewer slots.

K-12 Performance. Too few students in Illinois are meeting state standards in English Language Arts or Math and there are large
achievement gaps between groups. There are only 16 districts statewide where at least three-quarters of students are meeting third
grade English Language Arts standards, and only 5 districts where at least three-quarters of students are meeting sixth grade Math
standards. Although the Illinois overall high school graduation rate (86 percent) is higher than the national average, Black and
Hispanic/Latino students are graduating at lower rates than White and Asian students. These gaps in achievement and attainment are
not inevitable, however, as we see some districts performing better than others for the same groups of students.

School Resources. Illinois currently ranks last in the country in terms of school funding equity, with highest poverty districts receiving
19 percent less per student than the lowest poverty districts. Illinois also ranks near the bottom (43rd) for school breakfast participation,
with fewer than half of the 834,033 eligible students participating in school breakfast programs. Two new pieces of Illinois legislation
should improve these rankings.

Supporting Students. Reducing student suspensions is critical to keeping students academically on-track, but there are large
disparities in rates due to racial bias and school climate. Despite comprising only 18 percent of school enrollment, Black students
comprise 47 percent of students with one or more out-of-school suspensions. Minimizing rates of absenteeism is also critical to keeping
students on-track, yet 1 in 10 Illinois students missed at least 5 percent of school days last year. And in 268 schools across 16
counties, more than one-third of students missed at least 5 percent of school days. Programs that have been proven to have a positive
impact on supporting students, such as quality after school programs, have faced inconsistent funding and currently do not have
enough slots to meet the demand.

College Access and Readiness. About two-thirds of Illinois high school graduates go on to enroll in a 2- or 4-year college, but rates
vary greatly across districts, from a low of 15 percent to a high of 90 percent. And even though students might be enrolling in college,
they may not be ready for college coursework, with less than half of Illinois graduating seniors meeting college readiness benchmarks.
New Illinois legislation aims to align college and employer expectations with elementary and secondary requirements in order to
increase college readiness rates.

College Completion. Average completion rates at Illinois institutions are too low, with around 60 percent of students graduating from
public and independent non-profit institutions and only 42 percent of students graduating from for-profit institutions. College costs have
become a barrier to completion, as funding for the Illinois state grant program is insufficient to meet the demand and only covers about
one-third of costs at public universities, as compared to 100 percent of costs in 2002.

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 County or District
INDICATORS OF CHILD WELL-BEING Illinois Range

CHILDREN IN POVERTY (2015) 6% - 52%

Are Illinois children living in poverty? 19% Monroe Alexander
ECONOMIC SECURITY

FOOD INSECURITY RATE (2015) 5.7% - 23.3%

Are Illinoisans struggling with food insecurity? 11.7% Kane Alexander

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (2016) 3.4% - 9.8%

Are Illinoisans struggling to find work? 5.9% Brown Hardin

HOUSEHOLDS WITH A HIGH HOUSING COST

BURDEN (2011-2015) 16% - 42%
Are Illinoisans struggling to afford housing? 35% Schuyler Cook
Estimated percentage of households where more than 30% of
monthly income is spent on rent or ownership costs

PRESCHOOL ACCESS FOR CHILDREN IN

WORKING FAMILIES (2015) 21% - 100%
Are Illinois children who are most in need accessing preschool? 82% Boone 53 counties
Estimated percentage of Illinois 3- and 4-year-olds at or below
185% poverty in Preschool for All or Head Start programs

3RD GRADERS MEETING Low- 0% - 80%

ELA EXPECTATIONS (2016) Income 22% 9 districts St. Elmo CUSD 202
Are all groups of Illinois 3rd graders (Fayette)
meeting expectations in English Language Arts?
Non- 4% - 100%
Illinois Overall = 36% Low-
Income
51% Cahokia CUSD 187 Kings Cons SD 144
(St. Clair) (Ogle)
EDUCATION

6TH GRADERS MEETING Low- 0% - 60%

MATH EXPECTATIONS (2016) Income 14% 40 districts Central SD 51
Are all groups of Illinois 6th graders (Tazewell)
meeting expectations in Math?
Non- 0% - 92%
Illinois Overall = 29% Low-
Income
43% 7 districts Lisbon CCSD 90
(Kendall)

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE (2016) 44% - 100%

Are all groups of Illinois students graduating
Black 75% Meridian CUSD 101 7 districts
from high school in 4 years? (Pulaski)

61% - 100%
Illinois Overall = 86%
Hispanic 81% Freeport SD 145 15 districts
(Stephenson)

2% - 100%
White 90% Woodland CUSD 5 12 districts
(Livingston)

4
INDICATORS OF CHILD WELL-BEING Illinois County Range

LOW-BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES (2014) 0% - 11.4%

Are Illinois babies born weighing less than 5.5 pounds? 8.2% Scott Jersey

CHILDREN WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE (2015) 2% - 4.4%

Are Illinois children lacking health coverage? 2.9% Madison Douglas
HEALTH

INFANT, CHILD, AND TEEN DEATHS (2015) 0 - 702

How many Illinois children died in one year? 1,481 11 counties Cook

RATIO OF POPULATION TO PRIMARY CARE

PHYSICIANS (2014)
Do Illinoisans have access to health care?
1,240:1 752:1
DuPage
- 13,156:1
Cass

CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE FOR

WORKING FAMILIES (FY 2015) 5% - 41%
26%
FAMILY & COMMUNITY

Are Illinois working families able to afford quality child care? Marshall Champaign
Estimated percentage of Illinois children (ages 5 and under) at
or below 185% poverty receiving state child care assistance

CHILDREN PLACED IN FOSTER CARE (FY 2017) 0 - 4,920

How many Illinois children are placed in the foster care system? 14,077 Calhoun Cook

VIOLENT CRIMES (2015) 0 - 28,791

How many violent crimes are committed in Illinois? 47,843 4 counties Cook

OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS (2016) 0 - 947

How many Illinoisans are dying from opioids? 1,889 22 counties Cook

Note:
FY 2015 went from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.
FY 2017 went from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.

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 Endnotes
1 Five Numbers to Remember About Early
Childhood Development, Center on the Developing
Child at Harvard University, March 2017,
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/five-
numbers-to-remember-about-early-childhood-
development/#cps
2 Exploring Racial Equity for Infants and Toddlers,
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, April
2017, http://povertylaw.org/files/advocacy/early-
childhood/ec-policy-brief.pdf
3 Jorge Luis Garcia, James J. Heckman, Duncan
Ermini Leaf, and Maria Jose Prados, The Life-cycle
Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program, The
Heckman Equation, December 19, 2016,
https://heckmanequation.org/assets/2017/01/Garcia_Hec
kman_Leaf_etal_2016_life-cycle-benefits-ecp_r1-p.pdf
4 G.J. Duncan et al, School Readiness and
Later Achievement, Developmental Psychology, 43,
14281466, November 2007.
5 James J. Heckman, Early Childhood Education:
Quality and Access Pay Off, The Heckman Equation,
https://heckmanequation.org/assets/2017/01/F_Heckma
n_Moffitt_093016.pdf
6 High-Quality Early Learning Settings Depend on a
High-Quality Workforce: Low Compensation Undermines
Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and U.S. Department of Education, June 2016,
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/ece_low_c
ompensation_undermines_quality_report_june_10_2016
_508.pdf
7 Illinois Salary and Staffing Survey of Licensed
Child Care Facilities FY2013, Illinois Department of
Human Services,
http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=72057#a_toc
26
8 Elizabeth Morgan Russell, Sue W. Williams, and
Cheryl Gleason-Gomez, Teachers Perceptions of
Administrative Support and Antecedents of Turnover,
Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education, July
2010.
9 High-Quality Early Learning Settings Depend on a
High-Quality Workforce: Low Compensation Undermines
Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and U.S. Department of Education, June 2016,
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/ece_low_c
ompensation_undermines_quality_report_june_10_2016
_508.pdf
10 Natasha Ushomirsky and David Williams, Funding
Gaps 2015, The Education Trust, March 25, 2015,
https://edtrust.org/resource/funding-gaps-2015/
11 Sonja Brookins Santelises, Checking In: Do
Classroom Assignments Reflect Todays Higher
Standards? The Education Trust, September 2, 2015,
https://edtrust.org/resource/classroomassignments/
22
12 Kati Haycock, Achievement and Opportunity in
America: Critical Roles for School Leaders, presentation
at School Leaders Conference, January 22, 2016,
https://edtrust.org/resource/achievement-and-
opportunity-in-america-critical-roles-for-school-leaders/
13 Eileen Horng, Demetra Kalogrides, and Susanna
Loeb, Principal Preferences and the Unequal
Distribution of Principals across Schools, CALDER
Working Paper, The Urban Institute, December 2009,
http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/33311
/1001442-Principal-Preferences-and-the-Unequal-
Distribution-of-Principals-across-Schools.PDF
14 Leila Fiester, Early Warning! Why Reading by the
End of Third Grade Matters, Annie E. Casey
Foundation, January 2010,
http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/AECF-
Early_Warning_Full_Report-2010.pdf
15 Ruth Curran Neild, Robert Balfanz, and Liza
Herzog, An Early Warning System, Educational
Leadership, October 2007,
http://new.every1graduates.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/03/Early_Warning_System_Neild_
Balfanz_Herzog.pdf
16 Elaine M. Allensworth and John Q. Easton, The
On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School
Graduation, Consortium on Chicago School Research,
June 2005,
https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publica
tions/p78.pdf
17 Natasha Ushomirsky and David Williams, The
State of Funding Equity in Illinois, The Education Trust,
https://edtrust.org/graphs/?sname=Illinois
18 Hunger in Our Schools: Teachers Report 2013,
Share Our Strength,
https://www.nokidhungry.org/pdfs/NKH_TeachersReport
_2013.pdf
19 Ibid.
20 Jessie Hewins and Randy Rosso, School
Breakfast Scorecard: School Year 2015-2016, Food
Research & Action Center (FRAC), February 2017,
http://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/school-breakfast-
scorecard-sy-2015-2016.pdf
21 Powered by Breakfast: Healthy Starts in Illinois
Schools, Rise & Shine Illinois,
http://riseandshineillinois.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/2017-School-Breakfast-Report-
proof.pdf
22 Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes, Chronic
Absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know From
Nationally Available Data, Johns Hopkins University
Center for Social Organization of Schools, May 2012,
http://www.every1graduates.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/FINALChronicAbsenteeismRep
ort_May16.pdf
23 Donna St. George, Study Shows Wide Varieties in
Discipline Methods Among Very Similar Schools, The
Washington Post, July 19, 2011.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/study-
exposes-some-some-myths-about-school-
discipline/2011/07/18/gIQAV0sZMI_story.html?tid=hybrid
_collaborative_2_na&utm_term=.645b576f172f
24 Rethinking Discipline, available at:
https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/school-
discipline/index.html
25 21st Century Community Learning Centers:
Providing Locally Designed Afterschool and Summer
Learning Programs for Families, Afterschool Alliance,
June 2017,
http://afterschoolalliance.org/documents/21stCCLC-
Overview-2017.pdf
26 About Adverse Childhood Experiences, available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/about_
ace.html
27 Jessica Dym Bartlett, Sheila Smith, and Elizabeth
Bringewatt, Helping Young Children Who Have
Experienced Trauma: Policies and Strategies for Early
Care and Education, Child Trends, April 2017,
https://childtrends-
ciw49tixgw5lbab.stackpathdns.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/2017-21ExecSumECETrauma-
1.pdf
28 Manuel E. Jimenez, Roy Wade, Jr, Yong Lin,
Lesley M. Morrow, and Nancy E. Reichman, Adverse
Experiences in Early Childhood and Kindergarten
Outcomes, Pediatrics, February 2016.
29 Janet K. Holt, Bradford R. White, and Sarah K.
Terrell, Degrees with Less Debt: Effective Higher
Education Strategies for Underrepresented Student
Populations, Illinois Education Research Council, April
2017.
30 Debbie Cochrane and Diane Cheng, Student Debt
and the Class of 2015, The Institute for College Access
and Success, October 2016, http://ticas.org/posd/map-
state-data#
31 Janet K. Holt, Bradford R. White, and Sarah K.
Terrell, Degrees with Less Debt: Effective Higher
Education Strategies for Underrepresented Student
Populations, Illinois Education Research Council, April
2017, http://ierc.education/wp-
content/uploads/2017/04/2017-
2_Degrees_with_Less_Debt_Executive_Summary.pdf
32 College and Career Readiness, Advance Illinois,
http://www.advanceillinois.org/policy-areas/college-
career-readiness/
33 Facts About HB5729, the Postsecondary and
Workforce Readiness Act, Advance Illinois, August 2,
2016, http://www.advanceillinois.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/11/Facts-about-HB5729-
FINAL.pdf
Technical Notes
For race/ethnicity, categories are designated by
the U.S. Census Bureau or the Illinois State Board
of Education.
PAGE 4
CHILDREN IN POVERTY (2015)
The percentage of children under age 18 who live
in families with incomes below 100 percent of the
U.S. poverty threshold. Source: U.S. Census
Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates (SAIPE).
FOOD INSECURITY RATE (2015)
Food insecurity is a U.S. Department of
Agriculture measure that assesses households
access to adequate food. Source: Map the Meal
Gap 2017: Overall Food Insecurity in Illinois by
County in 2015, Feeding America.
http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-
america/our-research/map-the-meal-
gap/2015/MMG_AllCounties_CDs_MMG_2015_1/
IL_AllCounties_CDs_MMG_2015.pdf
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (2016)
The annual average unemployment rate, not
seasonally adjusted. Source: Illinois Department
of Employment Security, Annual Average 2016
Labor Force Estimates.
HOUSEHOLDS WITH A HIGH HOUSING COST
BURDEN (2011-2015)
The percentage of households where more than
30 percent of monthly household income is spent
on rent or ownership costs. Source: Voices for
Illinois Children analysis of housing data from U.S.
Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Analysis included housing units with a mortgage,
housing units without a mortgage, and occupied
units paying rent.
PRESCHOOL ACCESS FOR CHILDREN IN
WORKING FAMILIES (2015)
An estimate of the percentage of low-income 3-
and 4-year-olds being served by the Illinois
Preschool for All and Head Start programs.
Source: Voices for Illinois Children analysis of
data from Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map,
http://iecam.illinois.edu/. Analysis compares the
number of funded slots/enrollment for the
Preschool for All and Head Start programs to the
estimated number of 3- and 4-year-old children
living at or below 185 percent of the U.S. poverty
threshold.
3RD GRADERS MEETING ELA EXPECTATIONS
(2016)
The percentage of third graders meeting or
exceeding expectations on the PARCC English
Language Arts assessment. Source: Voices for
Illinois Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report
card data, Illinois State Board of Education. For
each subgroup, districts are sorted by the
percentage of students meeting or exceeding
expectations. Low-income students are those
eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches,
living in substitute care, or whose families receive
public aid.
6TH GRADERS MEETING MATH
EXPECTATIONS (2016)
The percentage of sixth graders meeting or
exceeding expectations on the PARCC
Mathematics assessment. Source: Voices for
Illinois Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report
card data, Illinois State Board of Education. For
each subgroup, districts are sorted by the
percentage of students meeting or exceeding
expectations. Low-income students are those
eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches,
living in substitute care, or whose families receive
public aid.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE (2016)
The percentage of students graduating from high
school in four years. Source: Voices for Illinois
Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report card
data, Illinois State Board of Education. For each
subgroup, districts are sorted by the four-year
graduation rate.
PAGE 5
LOW-BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES (2014)
The percentage of live births weighing less than
2,500 grams (5.5 pounds). Source: Illinois
Department of Public Health, Vital Statistics, Birth
Characteristics by Resident County.
CHILDREN WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
(2015)
The percentage of children under age 19 who are
uninsured. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small
Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAIHE).
INFANT, CHILD, AND TEEN DEATHS (2015)
The number of deaths, from all causes, to children
under the age of 18. Source: Illinois Department of
Public Health, Vital Statistics, Death
Demographics by Resident County.
RATIO OF POPULATION TO PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIANS (2014)
The ratio of the population to total primary care
physicians, which include non-federal, practicing
M.D.'s and D.O.'s under age 75 specializing in
general practice medicine, family medicine,
internal medicine, and pediatrics. Nurse
practitioners, physician assistants, and other
practitioners available for primary care services
are not included in the measure. Source: County
Health Rankings and Roadmaps,
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/illinois/2
017/measure/factors/4/data
CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE FOR WORKING
FAMILIES (FY 2015)
An estimate of the percentage of low-income
children ages 5 and under who are receiving state
assistance for child care.
Source: Voices for Illinois Children analysis of
data from Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map,
http://iecam.illinois.edu/. Analysis compares the
number children ages 5 and under receiving child
care assistance through the Child Care Assistance
Program (CCAP) to the estimated number of
children ages 5 and under living at or below 185
percent of the U.S. poverty threshold.
CHILDREN PLACED IN FOSTER CARE
(FY2017)
The total number of children placed in foster care,
relative care, group homes, or institutions, by
placement county. Source: Illinois Department of
Children and Family Services, Reports and
Statistics.
VIOLENT CRIMES (2015)
The total number of violent crime offenses
reported to Illinois law enforcement. Violent crime
includes criminal homicide, rape, robbery, and
aggravated battery/assault. Illinois total is the sum
of violent crimes from each county. Data missing
for Calhoun and Pope counties. Source: Illinois
State Police, Crime in Illinois 2015 Annual Uniform
Crime Report.
OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS (2016)
The total number of overdose deaths from any
opioid across all age groups. Source: Illinois
Department of Public Health, Vital Statistics, Drug
Overdose Deaths.
PAGE 10
REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF PRESCHOOL
SITES AND CHILDREN SERVED
The reduction in the total number of Preschool for
All and Head Start sites from 2010 to 2015 and
the corresponding reduction in the total number of
funded slots/enrollment. Source: Voices for Illinois
Children analysis of data from Illinois Early
Childhood Asset Map, http://iecam.illinois.edu/
23
 COUNTIES ESTIMATED TO BE SERVING LESS
THAN HALF OF LOW-INCOME
PRESCHOOLERS (2015)
The number of counties where the estimated
percentage of low-income 3- and 4-year-olds
being served by the Illinois Preschool for All and
Head Start programs is less than 50 percent.
Source: Voices for Illinois Children analysis of
data from Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map,
http://iecam.illinois.edu/. Analysis compares the
number of funded slots/enrollment for the
Preschool for All and Head Start programs to the
estimated number of 3- and 4-year-old children
living at or below 185 percent of the U.S. poverty
threshold.
PAGE 12
3RD GRADE ELA (2016)
The percentage of third graders meeting or
exceeding expectations on the PARCC English
Language Arts assessment. Source: Voices for
Illinois Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report
card data, Illinois State Board of Education. For
each subgroup, districts are sorted by the
percentage of students meeting or exceeding
expectations. Low-income students are those
eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches,
living in substitute care, or whose families receive
public aid.
6TH GRADE MATH (2016)
The percentage of sixth graders meeting or
exceeding expectations on the PARCC
Mathematics assessment. Source: Voices for
Illinois Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report
card data, Illinois State Board of Education. For
each subgroup, districts are sorted by the
percentage of students meeting or exceeding
expectations. Low-income students are those
eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches,
living in substitute care, or whose families receive
public aid.
24
PAGE 13 included in the counts. Source: Voices for Illinois
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES (2016) Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report card
The percentage of students graduating from high data, Illinois State Board of Education.
school in four years. Source: Voices for Illinois
Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report card PAGE 18
data, Illinois State Board of Education. For districts NUMBER OF DISTRICTS WHERE LESS THAN 1
where at least 90 percent of students in every IN 4 GRADUATING SENIORS IS COLLEGE
subgroup graduated, analysis was limited to those READY (2016)
districts with at least two subgroups. Graduation The total number of districts where the percentage
rate gaps were calculated by subtracting the of graduating seniors achieving a 21 or higher on
district graduation rate of Black or Hispanic the ACT was less than 25 percent. Source: Voices
students from the district graduation rate of White for Illinois Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois
students. report card data by district, Illinois State Board of
Education.
PAGE 16
NUMBER OF STUDENTS MISSING AT LEAST 5 NUMBER OF DISTRICTS WHERE AT LEAST
PERCENT OF SCHOOL DAYS (2016) HALF OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE-ENROLLED
The total number of chronically truant students HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES NEEDED
across Illinois schools. Illinois law defines chronic REMEDIATION (Class of 2014)
truant as a student who misses 5 percent of The total number of districts where the percentage
school days (about 9 days of an average 180-day of high school graduates enrolled in a community
school year) without a valid excuse. Students with college and taking at least one remedial course
excused absences, such as doctors appointments was greater than 50 percent. Source: Voices for
or students over the age of 16, who are not legally Illinois Children analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report
required to attend school are not included in the card data by district, Illinois State Board of
counts. Source: Voices for Illinois Children Education.
analysis of 2015-16 Illinois report card data, Illinois
State Board of Education. Total number of
students was calculated by summing the number
of chronically truant students per school.
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS WHERE AT LEAST
ONE-THIRD OF STUDENTS MISSED 9 OR
MORE SCHOOL DAYS (2016)
The total number of schools with chronic truancy
rates of at least 33.3 percent. Illinois law defines
chronic truant as a student who misses 5 percent
of school days (about 9 days of an average 180-
day school year) without a valid excuse. Students
with excused absences, such as doctors
appointments or students over the age of 16, who
are not legally required to attend school are not
Voices for Illinois Children Staff Report prepared by Anna Rowan,
Kids Count Manager.
Tasha Green Cruzat, President
John Gordon, Policy Analyst Graphics were created using
Madelyn James, Director of Children and Family Advocacy Venngage. Chalk art courtesy of
Pochis Bank Art Studio.
Deree Kobets, Chief Financial Officer
Photographs are from stock
Mitch Lifson, Senior Policy Analyst collections.
Jeannette Mihalek, Director of Development
Jennifer Neals, Executive Assistant The findings and conclusions
presented in this report are those
Anna Rowan, Kids Count Manager of Voices for Illinois Children
alone and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Annie
E. Casey Foundation.

Voices for Illinois Children Permission to copy, disseminate,

2017 Board of Directors or otherwise use information from
the Illinois Kids Count 2017
Christa Markgraff (Chair), McHenry report is granted so long as
Bonnie Wheeler (Vice Chair), Carterville appropriate acknowledgement is
Laura Auwerda (Treasurer), Chicago given.
Suzanne Swisher (Secretary), Davenport, IA
Patricia Jones-Blessman, Ph.D, Chicago
Wheeler Coleman, Chicago
Linda Coleman-Cleveland, Frankfort
Elizabeth Coulson, Glenview
Brian Dobbins, St. Louis, MO
Ray Hancock, Ph.D, Marion
Betty Hutchison, Ph.D, Chicago
Miriam Kelm, Highland Park
John P. Miller, Westmont
Jennifer Olson, Carterville
Edward A. Pont, MD FAAP, Oak Park
John E. Rhine, Mt. Carmel
Curtis J. Tarver II, Chicago
208 South LaSalle Street | Suite 1490
Chicago, IL 60604-1120
312.456.0600 | www.voices4kids.org