The number of regulated child care programs has dropped substantially in the last six years from 10,705 to 5,858, a 45% drop. The greatest decline by far was for family child care programs, both licensed and certified. The number of group child care centers stayed fairly stable.
71% drop for certified family child care providers: The largest change was for certified family care providers, a 71% drop, from 5,100 to 1,474. Certified family child care providers cannot serve more than three children under age six not related to them, and must meet less stringent regulations than licensed programs. Many certified providers serve neighbors and relatives.
34% drop in licensed family child care centers: The next largest drop was for licensed family child care centers, with a 34% drop, from 3,023 to 1,983. Licensed family child care centers can serve up to eight children.
7% drop in licensed group child care centers: The number of licensed group child care centers dropped 7%, from 2,497 to 2,323. Group child care centers serve many more children than the two family child care programs combined. While there was a modest reduction in the number of licensed group child care centers over six years, the estimated number of children enrolled in these centers increased about 4%, probably due to expansion of some centers to serve more children.
Our analysis of Department of Children and Families data that licensed programs enrolled over 230,000 children as of the end of 2013, with group child care centers serving about 85% of them.
This analysis uses Department of Children and Families child care regulatory data at the end of 2007 and the end of 2013.
Readers: Do you have any thoughts about what caused these significant drops in regulated family child care?
K-12 Education in the Fox Valley
Every student in the Fox Valley region deserves to receive the educational support and resources needed to help them achieve a bright future. Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant impacts on students in Wisconsin. These challenges were particularly acute for students who were more likely to be struggling prior to the pandemic, like students with lower incomes, students of color, and students who speak English as a second language. With federal pandemic relief funds drying up, state leaders must ensure schools have adequate resources and that students don’t fall even more behind.
