Wisconsin Facing Continued Childcare Shortage

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 -- 12:00 PM

(By Gaby Vinick, Wisconsin Public Radio) -During the pandemic, Christy Cole scaled back the hours her salon in rural Mineral Point was open to cope with the stress of COVID-19 and the fact that she couldn’t find adequate child care for her 7-year-old daughter, according to Gaby Vinick with Wisconsin Public Radio

"Unless you know someone or are very trusting, it's hard to even find child care," she said. "There's no system for it out here where we don't have regulated child care centers readily available. And when they are, they’re really expensive."

She’s now planning to abandon her business entirely and pursue social work. Cole’s story is one example of the dire realities families face as staffing shortages force some child care centers to operate at reduced capacity or shutter their doors completely.

The mass exodus of early childhood educators has left caregivers scrambling for help. "We are sort of drowning, especially in the rural areas of Wisconsin," she said. Child care centers see a mass exodus of educators.

Ruth Schmidt, the executive director of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, said it's likely that two-thirds of child care programs in the state are looking to hire full-time staff right now.

It’s not only pushing parents to the brink, but child care educators, already overworked, Schmidt said, are also paying the consequences as businesses extend their hours. "I think there's a possibility that it will get dramatically worse before it gets better," she said.

Katie Seltz, director of the Creative New Beginnings Childcare & Early Learning Center, said she's getting at least one call a day from families in need of care. For the rural town of Strum in Trempealeau county, it's anything but normal, she said.

"I feel awful every time I have to turn away a family and say, 'I'm sorry, our waitlist is at least a year out,'" she said. "It's heartbreaking." But she can’t open more spaces for children without hiring more staff, which is not easy to do. She said some workers didn't want to leave the field but sought out better pay and opportunities.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.