My name is Ruby Grisby. I started out as a daycare worker and have now been an owner for 47 years. My husband and I opened our first daycare center in 1993.
“Child Care Makes Our Communities Stronger”
Elizabeth Tomev, Wisconsin – Before I had children, the importance of daycare didn’t weigh heavily on my mind. I didn’t realize how stressful it would be to try to find the right child care. I never knew how costly it would be.
“We Give So Much to the Community”
Narrator: Tracy York, Menomonie, WI (CESA #11, Head Start staff) Date of Production: September 29, 2021 Produced by: Dave Alcorn at DA Productions ***A collaboration of Kids Forward, Supporting Families Together Association, Wisconsin Head Start Association, and Wisconsin Early Childhood Association supported by Voices for Healthy Kids policy campaign and the American Heart Association.
“The People that Work in Head Start are Remarkable”
Narrator: Dawn Hager, Wisconsin (Head Start parent) Date of Production: September 29, 2021 Produced by: Dave Alcorn at DA Productions ***A collaboration of Kids Forward, Supporting Families Together Association, Wisconsin Head Start Association, and Wisconsin Early Childhood Association supported by Voices for Healthy Kids policy campaign and the American Heart Association.
“Meeting the Child Where They Are Developmentally”
Narrator: Pa Vang, Wisconsin (Head Start parent and staff) Date of Production: September 29, 2021 Produced by: Dave Alcorn at DA Productions ***A collaboration of Kids Forward, Supporting Families Together Association, Wisconsin Head Start Association, and Wisconsin Early Childhood Association supported by Voices for Healthy Kids policy campaign and the American Heart Association.
“We Need to Invest in Our Next Generation”
Narrator: Major General Marcia Anderson, Beloit, WI | Army Veteran Date of Production: November 27, 2021 Produced by: Dave Alcorn at DA Productions ***A collaboration of Kids Forward, Supporting Families Together Association, Wisconsin Head Start Association, and Wisconsin Early Childhood Association supported by Voices for Healthy Kids policy campaign and the American Heart Association.
It Takes a Village
COVID was really interesting because it gave us a taste of what it’s like to try to work when your children are also at home at the same time. It’s impossible. We were fortunate that our child care center was only closed for two weeks due to the pandemic. Child care is everything.
Thoughts from a Child Care Center Administrator
Linda Kudrna, Cottage Grove, WI – In my role, I see that women are joining the workforce more rapidly than ever. We must support their work by providing accessible, affordable and high quality care for children. It’s a necessity for our economy, and it’s a necessity for our youngest children.
“Not right now. Daddy’s on a work phone call.”
Alex Bean, New Glarus (WI) – Our future childcare situation is a little murky, because we don’t have guaranteed spots during the summer. I don’t think there’s room in other daycare centers in town, either. A stay-at-home parent, that’s a full time job. Working a career, that’s a full-time job, too. To juggle both is not a way for people to live.
“They’re Safe. They Love Going. I don’t worry.”
Melissa Biel, Beaver Dam (WI) – This community — businesses, even the government — needs to focus more on affordable reliable childcare. I spend more on childcare than I do on my mortgage. It shouldn’t be like that. How often do you have a babysitter or someone sick. Especially with COVID, all of a sudden they were sick, they got quarantined. What do parents do? It’s a real problem.
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