MADISON, WI – Today, Democratic legislators in both houses of the Wisconsin State Legislature introduced a bill that would invest $480 million in Child Care Counts. Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Today I am proud to join my Democratic colleagues in introducing a bill that will invest $480 million in Child Care Counts.
In his 2025-2027 Executive Budget, Governor Evers proposed over $480 million for Child Care Counts to continue supplying essential aid to child care providers across our state. Those funds were stripped from the budget by the Joint Committee on Finance along with over 600 other items that Governor Evers had proposed to help the working families of our state.
According to a recent survey conducted through a partnership between the Department of Children and Families and UW–Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty, one quarter of statewide child care providers are at risk of closure and over one third of providers will likely have to close classrooms, reduce operating hours, or reduce the number of children served if funding for Child Care Counts is not continued. The majority of providers in Wisconsin are also anticipating staffing challenges and tuition increases.
This is beyond alarming when we consider that, according to the Department of Children and Families, we have 48,000 children across our state reported to be on waiting lists for childcare, we have unfilled spots at 60% of our Wisconsin child care providers because they can’t recruit and retain qualified staff, and we’ve seen a 19% decline in the number of regulated child care programs in the last decade.
Quality, affordable child care is invaluable to the growth and development of our kids as well as the health and stability of our families and communities. Excellent early childhood programming is linked to better outcomes in K-12 education and better health outcomes for kids, as well as lower levels of youth involvement with the justice system.
Investing in programs like Child Care Counts that make quality programming affordable and accessible to all kids contributes to families’ financial security and stability and allows parents to participate in the workforce if they choose. I will continue to support Governor Evers’ investments in our children and families and advocate for sustainable funding to our childcare providers.”
