A national report on Parents and the High Cost of Care: 2013 Report, recently released by Child Care Aware of America, outlines the reality that child care is a major expense in family budgets in all states. The report states that in 2012, the cost of child care increased up to eight times the rate of increases in family income. It also found that in 31 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual cost of center-based care for an infant was higher than that annual tuition and fees at a four-year public college. Moreover, across the 50 states, the annual average cost of center-based infant care averaged over 40 percent of the state median income for a single mother. Designed to complement the national report, Illinois Families and the Cost of Child Care FY 2013 Report is a publication by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) intended to put valuable data into the hands of parents, early care and education programs, and policy makers to inform them in making the best decisions for children and families in Illinois. While there are no easy answers, solid data are needed to support development of policies that strengthen programs designed to improve quality and access, especially for our most vulnerable populations. The Illinois Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) System has been collecting data on the rates early care and education programs charge for over twenty years. These aggregate data are presented in this report by county and compared to various factors that impact our view of the affordability of care, from household income to housing and other household costs. The data are also analyzed from a variety of perspectives including dual- and single-parent households, rural vs. urban settings, and income thresholds that define poverty. (author abstract)