CHICAGO (WLS) — Childcare has become one of the biggest line items in a family’s budget, with its costs growing faster than any other household expense in recent decades. But for many Illinois parents, that cost comes with little to no help from state programs, meant to ease the burden.

The Child Care Assistance Program, also known as CCAP, is the largest government childcare subsidy. It significantly reduces monthly costs for families, and it can be an essential source of income for childcare businesses, particularly in Cook County. However, it doesn’t provide enough relief for many families and providers, an Illinois Answers Project investigation found.

While Illinois infuses hundreds of millions of dollars a year into childcare programs, strict eligibility requirements and limitations exclude tens of thousands of families. The issue – forcing many families to make difficult life, financial and career decisions.

To read the full investigation by the Illinois Answers Project, visit illinoisanswers.org.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate will seek a fifth term in office.

Pate, a Republican, announced June 14 that he would run for reelection in 2026.

“I am thrilled to announce that I will once again be running to serve as your secretary of state, because we’re not done yet,” said Pate in a video announcing his candidacy.

In his announcement, Pate detailed key accomplishments the state has achieved under his leadership.

“Throughout my life as a public servant, I’ve been guided by three core principles: service, participation and integrity,” Pate said. “During my time as Iowa Secretary of State, we’ve broken numerous records for voter registration and participation, we’ve been recognized as a top state for election administration and integrity and even earned awards for cyber security measures, accessibility for the disabled community, and poll worker recruitment and voter outreach.”

He went on to discuss the importance of secure elections and promised to continue his mission of ensuring “every Iowa business thrives (and) every eligible vote counts.”

Pate previously served as Iowa’s secretary of state from 1995-1999. He lost a primary bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 1998 and served as mayor of Cedar Rapids from 2002-2006.

He ran again for secretary of state in 2014 before running for the office again in 2014. He won reelection in 2018 and 2022.

The most recent election saw Pate defeat Democrat Joel Miller with 60% of the vote, compared to Miller’s 39.9%.  His current term will end on January 1, 2027.

Pate has supported several changes to Iowa’s election laws during his terms in office. Most recently, he backed a bills that give his office more tools to verify a voter’s citizenship status and standardizes recount procedures.

The legislation comes in response to the chaotic weeks leading up to the 2024 election, when Pate instructed county auditors to challenge the ballots of 2,176 registered voters who he suspected were not citizens based on a faulty list from the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Ultimately, his office found 277 noncitizens on Iowa’s voter rolls, including 35 noncitizens who successfully voted in the 2024 election and five more who tried to vote but had their ballots rejected. 

The last-minute moves faced criticism and legal challenges.

Throughout his career, Pate has also served as a state senator and president of the Iowa League of Cities. He was unanimously elected president of the National Association of Secretaries of State in 2019, according to his campaign website, pateforiowa.com.

“I’m Paul Pate, your secretary of state,” the video concluded. “And I’m asking for your vote.”

Norah Judson is a reporter for the Register. Reach her at njudson@gannett.com.