Kids Forward has just released the results of a survey of child care providers in Brown County and surrounding areas. We think this is useful information for policy makers and advocates who want to improve Wisconsin’s early care and education system. Many thanks to Family & Childcare Resources of Northeast Wisconsin for conducting the survey last summer (June 2018). And also thanks to Amy Owen and Silver Lynx Consulting for creating the report.
Child care providers face many challenges and barriers in helping families access early care and education, particularly those with very young children (infants and toddlers). One of the biggest issues program directors face is finding, retaining, and compensating quality staff. We know from this 2016 report that wages in ECE are pitifully low and also that many areas of the state have a shortage of available slots. In addition, this 2015 report documents the steep decline in children served by Wisconsin Shares in rural counties. Survey respondents strongly indicated they would like to pay their staff better wages but are too financially pinched to do so.
Families also struggle with covering the cost of child care. Kids Forward advocates for policy solutions that benefit both child care providers AND parents who need access to dependable, developmentally appropriate early care and education. Unfortunately, most of the Governor’s budget items that would have made improvements were rejected in the legislature this session. It is clear that Wisconsin’s ECE system is severely underfunded at present.
On a more hopeful note, providers documented some things that have been most helpful to them in running a child care program. These included supportive families, incredibly dedicated staff, and support from YoungStar and Wisconsin Shares.