Gov. Tony Evers recently announced that he is directing $170 million in emergency funding to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) to continue the Child Care Counts Stabilization Payment Program at current levels through June 2025. While the emergency stopgap measure does not meet the same funding levels Child Care Counts has received previously, it will still provide direct relief to over 4,400 child care providers across the state. The move aims to ensure child care providers can afford to keep their doors open, continue providing care for kids, and keep workers in Wisconsin’s workforce.
The funding directed by the governor is possible primarily through reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) made for expenses Wisconsin incurred for pandemic response operations and underspending of funds previously allocated for pandemic response needs.
Child care providers who are currently receiving Child Care Counts payments and those who are interested in applying for the program are encouraged to sign up for email notifications to receive important program updates, including application and spending deadlines.
Funding for the Child Care Counts program is set to expire in January 2024 under federal allocations. According to a report from The Century Foundation, absent continued investments in the Child Care Counts program in Wisconsin, 2,110 child care programs are projected to close, resulting in over 87,000 children without child care and the loss of over 4,880 child care jobs. Additionally, the lack of access to child care could potentially cause about half a billion dollars in economic impacts across the state.
