Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), announced in a press release today that the Wisconsin Policy Forum named DCF the inaugural recipient of the La Follette/Gladfelter Award for Innovation in State Government for their efforts in stabilizing and sustaining Wisconsin’s child care industry.
DCF focused on programs and solutions including the Child Care Counts and Project Growth grant programs and a historic Wisconsin Shares rate increase that supports families, child care providers, and communities. DCF will receive the award at the Salute to Local Government awards to be held on Nov. 15 at Milwaukee’s Italian Community Center.
In recent weeks, a new survey completed by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) highlighted the future of the child care field sans the Child Care Counts program. Of the child care providers surveyed, 87% are considering raising parent fees, and nearly one-third are considering closing their doors, which would result in a loss of care for at least 19,790 families with young children. At least 13,178 children are already on waiting lists at surveyed programs, according to WECA data.
