MADISON, WI – Today, State Senator Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton) and fellow Legislative Democrats introduced the Cutting Costs for Child Care bill package, which includes six bills aimed at bringing down the cost of child care and addressing the child care workforce shortage.
“The cost of child care is one of the biggest financial burdens on working families these days, and it’s something that I’ve been asked by families, providers, and employers to address. Part of the problem is the worker shortage, which this package addresses by removing barriers for child care workers who would otherwise be able to enter the workforce,” said Senator Dassler-Alfheim.
Sen. Dassler-Alfheim is the lead author on two of the bills: Child Care Assistance for Early Educators (LRB-6131), which provides categorical eligibility to child care providers for the Wisconsin Shares Program, and Building the Workforce Behind the Workforce (LRB-6126), which allocates funds to help cover the cost of expensive trainings that are required for potential child care workers.
“Every single child care center I’ve toured has said the same thing: they can’t find staff. Removing barriers for staff interested in entering the child care workforce is the least we can do to help providers keep their doors open and tuition rates down,” said the Senator.
The package also includes legislation that would make a number of changes to the Wisconsin Shares Program. Capping Cost of Care (LRB-6127) ensures that copayments for families do not exceed 7% of their income. Child Care for the Missing Middle (LRB-6125) expands eligibility requirements to include middle-class families who currently do not qualify for assistance but still struggle to afford care. Including All Caregivers (LRB-4878) updates the program language to bring it in line with current kinship care law and ensure that caregivers who may not be related by blood or marriage are able to afford care for children. Additionally, Improving Access to Tribal Child Care (LRB-6129) allocates $500,000 per year for tribal child care training and technical assistance. Many of these proposals were included in the budget as proposed by the Governor during the 2025-26 budget process but were removed by Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee.
“During the budget process, we tried to help the child care industry stay afloat and bring down tuition rates for families by renewing the Child Care Stabilization fund. Despite the statewide outpouring of support from providers and families for this program, Republicans refused to even meet us halfway. Hopefully these common-sense proposals will be enough to bring them to the table and work something out for the hardworking child care providers of Wisconsin and the families and communities that they serve,” concluded the Senator.
A video comment from the Senator is available upon request.
