After digging into detailed budget papers and talking to key players in developing budget
options for the Legislature, it looks like $5.84 million may be available for increasing child care payment rates under the Wisconsin Shares program. The final negotiations of the Joint Finance Committee as they completed their work on the budget included more funding than most child care advocates thought. The good news is that the rates are no longer frozen at 2006 levels, and there is movement toward a rate increase. That’s something to cheer about; $5.8 million is a lot of money, though there’s no guarantee that it will actually be used for this purpose.
State Budget: Early Care & Education
Main Takeaways Child care is unaffordable and unavailable for too many working families. Child care staff are severely underpaid and this critical industry is on the verge of collapse unless there is continued economic support. The Governor's budget takes several...
