This week, the Wisconsin legislature launched the Children’s Caucus Steering Committee, a bipartisan and bicameral caucus co-chaired by Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) and Representative Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan). The goal of the caucus will be to research and advocate for promising, evidence-based public policy that will improve the quality of life for all Wisconsin’s children, the lawmakers said.

The first meeting was held April 12, with three featured speakers:

• Seth Pollak, a UW Professor of Psychology, focusing on early brain development and its long-term impact, with a focus on persistent adverse childhood experiences and the link to later behavioral disorders.
• Katherine Magnuson, UW Professor of Social Work, discussed research on the well-being and development of economically disadvantaged children and their families. She emphasized the positive impact of early supportive relationships and the benefits of effective early childhood education programs.
• Art Rolnick, an economist formerly with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, focused on the positive return on investment of early childhood development, with particularly strong results from high-quality early education and evidence-based home visiting program, particularly when targeting low-income children.

You can watch the April 12 session via Wisconsin Eye

The other eight members: Sen. Alberta Darling, Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd, Sen. Janet Bewley, Sen. Chris Larson, Sen. Luther Olsen, Rep. Jill Billings, Rep. Eric Genrich, Rep. John Jagler, and Rep. Jessie Rodriguez.

Lizzy Schounard