Lawmakers support legislation funding child care services

NORTHEAST WIS. – Four Wisconsin lawmakers announced at a May 22 news conference their support for state legislation that would invest $480 million in child care to make up for the loss of federal funds, which are set to expire June 30.

State Sen. Sarah Keyeski from Lodi, who represents the 14th Senate district, said child care issues haven’t improved over the years. She relied on child care for her six children when they were young and often faced challenges in finding high quality care. Child care is essential for working parents today, she said. “This is an urgent issue that affects us all,” she stated.

Still, hiring and retaining talent is a challenge for child care providers, “We have historically underpaid and undervalued child care providers,” Keyeski said.

With federal funding for the Child Care Counts program set to end June 30, the problem could get worse.

Gov. Tony Evers’ 2025-27 Executive Budget includes over $500 million for child care, including $480 million in funds for the Child Care Counts program.

The government-funded Child Care Counts program has supported 5,600 child-care providers who employ 72,720 child care workers and care for over 417,000 children in the state, according to Evers.

Evers is asking for Republican lawmakers to join Democrats in the Legislature and support the Child Care Counts program, which provides funds to child care centers based on headcount with additional funding allocated for children from low-income families and for highly qualified workers.

Without an assurance that new funding will be approved, Michelle Peters, owner of Kids R Us University in Marinette, is preparing to raise her prices in July. “It’s going to go on to the parents. Prices will be increasing at this point,” she said, though they could drop again if funds are approved in the new budget.

Other child care centers have said they might have to close if parents can’t pay higher child care fees and government funding stops, said Rep. Alex Joers of District 81.

“It’s not feasible for parents to drop out of the workforce. This is not the 1950s,” said Sen. Kelda Roys of the 26th Senate district.

Roys, who brought her young son to a news conference last week, is among the state lawmakers urging Wisconsin legislators to pass legislation to make up for the loss of federal funds and ensure consistent, reliable child care.

“We have heard Sen. Ron Johnson say, ‘I never thought it was society’s responsibility to take care of other people’s kids,’” Roys said.

In 2023, Johnson said women on public assistance should serve as child care workers, according to news reports.

Roys said every child in the United States “deserves the opportunity to thrive…We will not accept zero dollars for child care.”

Rep. Renuka Mayadev, a Democrat representing the 77th District in Madison, asked, “As a state we maintain roads, we maintain bridges, why is childcare such a fight?”

Mayadev said the median wage for childcare workers is between $7 and $14 an hour.

Staffing shortages have led to wait lists. About 48,000 children are on wait lists throughout the state, according to Joers from Middleton. He said when federal funding ends, 78% of child care centers in the state will have to raise rates and parents will be expected to pay more for the care their children are receiving.

In February, the Child Care Counts program provided centers $87 per week for infants and $68 per week for toddlers aged two to three, plus $25 if the child qualified for the Wisconsin Shares program, according to the State of Wisconsin. The per-staff base amount was $74, increasing to $170 for five-star workers.

“We are authorizing legislation to direct state funds to establish a comprehensive approach and support our early education care economy for Wisconsin families,” Joers said. “As a parent of two kids under five, I’m sure I join most parents across this state in saying we are exhausted in waiting for this state legislature to take action in recognizing affordable child care across this state and taking it seriously. We will never stop fighting for the most responsible investment we need to make in our kids, their families through child care and early education.”