Research has shown that the first five years play an enormous role in a child’s ongoing development and future success. Since most kids are in a child care or preschool setting while their parents are at work, it’s critical that we invest in a high-quality early education system that provides the experiences kids need for healthy development.
The final 2017-19 budget summary shows a significant increase in funding for the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program relative to the current spending level, especially in the second fiscal year of the 2017-19 two year budget. Nevertheless, the increased appropriations are far below the amounts expended in past years, before the...
We have known for some time that Wisconsin’s gap between black and white students in graduation rates and fourth –grade testing are the largest in the nation. A new study, Kindergarten Readiness in Wisconsin, provides a first-time look at inequalities in school readiness among Wisconsin’s kindergarten students with a large sample size....
This analysis is looking at the trends in YoungStar over two years, from January 2015 to January 2017. Our primary focus includes two questions: (1) Are more subsidized children receiving higher quality child care over time? (2) Are more child care programs reaching higher quality ratings under YoungStar? Trends for Children: More...
A June 2017 national poll found that 79% of voters—including 80% of Trump votes and 79% of Clinton voters—want Congress and the administration to work together to improve the quality of child care and preschool, and make it more affordable for parents. “ Investing in quality early childhood education from birth through age five has...
A very thorough research report examining Wisconsin’s YoungStar program was published in June 2017, completed by Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and written by Rob Grunewald, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Grunewald also co-authored the 2012 report just as YoungStar was getting launched, “The Economic...
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