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.
Evers Proposes Investments in Public Assistance to Cushion the Health and Economic Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating severe economic hardship for many Wisconsinites, and especially for those who were already furthest from opportunity. It has helped reveal the stark disparities in our nation, particularly for people of color, because it has amplified...