As a mother of three and grandmother of six, Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller knows all too well the struggles
many working families have in securing safe, dependable, and affordable childcare in Freeport and in
Stephenson County.
 

“The lack of available childcare in our community is an issue many are impacted by in Freeport and in
Stephenson County, but few talk about,” says the two-term Freeport mayor. “It’s time we bring people
together to talk about real solutions for expanding already existing childcare centers in our community
and developing new ones.”
 

According to Mayor Miller, there are just under 400 licensed childcare slots in Freeport to serve over
1,800 children under the age of five.
“Many families who are reliant on two incomes to support their households and struggle to find
available childcare in Freeport, face a lot of financial hardships,” says Mayor Miller. “We need to find
ways to ease the burden of securing childcare for working families.”
 

Mayor Miller also sees the issue of available childcare as an economic and workforce development
issue. Many employers in the area struggle to recruit and retain employees because those new recruits
or employees struggle to find available and dependable childcare.
This is particularly true, she adds, with industries like healthcare and manufacturing that staff second
and third shifts.
 

Mayor Miller proposes creating a local work group made up of childcare, economic development, non-
profit, and education professionals in Freeport over the next year to begin working on solving Freeport’s
childcare availability crisis.