Senator Dora Drake
By Senator Dora Drake
Childcare needs to be affordable and accessible, but within our state, childcare has become increasingly expensive and inaccessible. Through the Child Care Counts program, families can access quality care to help families participate in our workforce and contribute to the state’s economy. This essential program was recently one of the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee’s 612 removed items from Governor Evers’ proposed budget. In response, I, along with other Legislative Democrats, introduced a bill to continue the investment into the Child Care Counts program by $480 million in this biennial budget.
The Child Care Counts program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that early childhood education providers could remain open. Even before the pandemic, many Wisconsin families did not have access to or could not afford childcare services. Providers could not thrive because staying open with low wages and slim profit margins was hard. Under the Child Care Counts program, providers are eligible for programs A or B. Program A increased access to high-quality childcare. According to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), 83% of providers used program A funds to cover operating expenses, and a majority of providers used these funds to purchase materials and supplies, cover payroll, and address building repairs or maintenance. The use of Program A funds increases the quality of childcare our children are receiving, while lowering the costs for Wisconsin families through financial assistance. Program B funds were used to increase the childcare workforce and retention among educators. DCF reported that 60% of childcare providers used these Program B funds for an increase in worker wages.
Defunding this essential program would cause childcare providers to close. According to the Institute for Research on Poverty’s study, the Child Care Counts program ensured that childcare providers stay open. The program stabilized their programs and continued to offer high-quality childcare. Furthermore, defunding the program would increase childcare costs for families in Wisconsin. Through the use of Program A funds, childcare providers can offer financial assistance for many families, decreasing the high costs of childcare. Due to the Child Care Counts program’s length, providers were unable to increase wages, opting for bonuses instead. Continuing to fund the program would give providers the necessary funding to increase wages for their workers.
For months, I spent time with constituents, families, providers, and community organizations raising the alarm about how eliminating these funds will close doors to families in Milwaukee and around the state. Last month, I visited the Milwaukee Succeeds Early Childhood Education program at Thrive on King, where an educator shared the dire situation our children are in. With passion and conviction, she shared how the discontinuation of the Child Care Counts program would affect their services, which would lower pay for experienced educators with multiple degrees and provide financial assistance for struggling families. Even during the presentation, she demonstrated that the current funding levels are barebones to keep the program running. These cuts will even affect organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, who provide after-school programs for our children at locations across the county. There was not a dry eye in the room after her presentation.
Let me be crystal clear: these constituents, families, providers, and advocacy groups have not just been meeting with Democrats; they have been giving the same message to Republicans. So, when this budget was sent to the Joint Committee on Finance, my Republican colleagues knew that this was a crisis, and instead of proposing an alternative, they elected to cut these funds from the budget with no solution. Instead, the Republican focus has been to secure a tax cut for the ultra-wealthy, much like their colleagues in Washington.
Tax cuts will not make childcare more affordable for us! It is essential that we continue funding the Child Care Counts. Whether it was through knocking on doors or calls and emails to my office, you have made it clear to me how important affordable childcare is to your family and our community. You have shared with me your stories and the painful barriers many face to acquire childcare services. While our efforts may be blocked, the Governor and Wisconsin Democrats will not stop fighting for a budget and government that works for you.