Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced today that a new WisconSays Survey found that 90% of Wisconsinites, including those without kids, say finding affordable, high-quality child care in Wisconsin is a problem. Over three-quarters of Wisconsinites support an increase in state funding to fix it.
Meanwhile, for families currently using child care, the survey found approximately half reported missing work or school due to lack of child care, and over 12% reported leaving the workforce entirely.
The survey, conducted by the University of Wisconsin (UW) Survey Center in partnership with the Institute for Research on Poverty, also found that about one-third of people using child care reported having difficulty covering the cost of child care expenses. According to DCF, the average annual cost for full-time infant care is $16,175 in center-based programs and $11,479 in family-based programs, equaling 21% and 15%, respectively, of the median household income in Wisconsin.
In total, Wisconsin families pay over $570 million for infants and toddlers under age three and over $1 billion for all preschool-aged children under age five.
