Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) has again drawn down federal funds to continue and expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children up to age five. Wisconsin has been very successful in expanding the program with federal funding and state match. DCF is the lead agency, working closely with the Department of Health Services.
According to officials of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, the Home Visiting Program helps to ensure that young families have the option to participate in a program that promotes their children’s healthy growth and development. The home visiting program is part of a prenatal to five continuum, including Head Start and Early Start, child care funding, services to children with disabilities, and other programs.
Inaccessible and Unaffordable Child Care Pushes Wisconsin Families to the Breaking Point
Wisconsin’s lack of accessible child care short-changes children and makes getting to work for parents difficult, while those who can find care struggle to pay for it. This costs the economy billions of dollars a year and holds women back professionally, especially women of color.
