Family-Based Childcare in Chicago: Opportunities to Advance Environmental and Social Justice for Children

Achieving environmental justice for children requires that their spaces promote health and well-being. In this study, we characterized the broader environmental context for family-based childcare (FCC) homes in Chicago, Illinois, to identify gaps in knowledge and directions for future work.

Data on childcare providers were obtained from a state agency. Using public data sets, we characterized the physical, chemical, and built (PCB); nutritional; and social environments at the census tract level. We then described differences in neighborhood quality for census tracts containing only center-based care and those containing only FCC homes.

Indicators of PCB environments were similar for all census tracts. Census tracts containing FCC homes only had higher median percentages of residents with low food access and households receiving nutrition assistance relative to census tracts with center-based care only. Indicators of the social environment, including educational attainment and violent crime, were also less favorable for census tracts with FCC homes only relative to those with center-based care only.

Our analysis highlighted differences in neighborhood quality for FCC homes, which are an important resource for low-income and racially marginalized families. Our work highlights the need to examine how structural racism contributes to the broader environmental context and children's health.