CHILD CARE CRISIS: Advocate Calls Public Funding Essential

Monday, August 14th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

(Bob Hague, WRN) A Wisconsin child care advocate says public funding is essential.

Governor Tony Evers has called a special session of the Legislature for a workforce development package, including $365 million to support child care providers. “Working families with young children, they have their backs up against the wall in really big ways right now, and it's gonna get worse before it gets better.”

Ruth Schmidt with Wisconsin Early Childhood Association says this should be a non-partisan issue. “Republicans consume childcare, Democrats consume childcare and completely apolitical people do and and we just need funding for it.”

Schmidt added, “The governor is proposing this major $340 million investment into continuing funding for Child Care Counts, that was part of his budget. We did a ton of advocacy on that. It is unfortunate that childcare has become a little bit of a political hot potato in Wisconsin, because we just don't have time for that.”

Schmidt says many child care providers will be forced to raise rates for families or even close if more funding isn’t available. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos quickly rejected Evers' plan, which is part of a larger workforce development bill he wants passed in a special session of the legislature. Republicans plan to take up a tax cut instead.          

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