Wisconsin’s early childhood win is making national waves. StriveTogether, a national network partner working to improve outcomes from cradle to career, recently published a blog post highlighting the work of Milwaukee Succeeds and our partners as proof that community-led advocacy can drive real, lasting change for kids and families.

Coalition members of the Wisconsin Partnership and their hundreds of partners across Wisconsin thank Gov. Tony Evers and legislative leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature for making a historic $330 million investment in the state’s child care sector.

The stories of Milwaukee families navigating the broken early childhood education (ECE) system took center stage this week in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel video series. Four Milwaukee Succeeds ECE Ambassadors – Jackie Burrell, LaDonna Foster, Taffie Foster-Toney and Vanessa Giraldez – shared their lived experiences as parents, educators and advocates, spotlighting the urgent need for sustainable child care solutions in Wisconsin.

Early childhood education is an issue that impacts kids’ futures, families’ pocketbooks and employers’ bottom lines in every electoral district of the state, regardless of party or allegiance. Together, the Wisconsin Partnership respectfully urges every legislator and member of the Joint Committee on Finance to recognize the critical role early childhood education plays in the strength of our economy and the well-being of our communities.

This week, the BizTimes published a cover story examining the looming crisis facing Milwaukee’s child care sector – a vital but fragile part of the economy that supports working families, employers and our community as a whole. The article draws on insights from Milwaukee Succeeds’ staff and data from our recent report, Still Making Every Dollar Count, underscoring the urgency of the issue as the Child Care Counts (CCC) program approaches its June expiration.

In his recent Building Opportunity article, Greater Milwaukee Foundation President and CEO Greg Wesley highlights the powerful impact of early childhood education. High-quality early education fuels children’s long-term success, supports working parents, strengthens the workforce and builds healthier communities. Yet despite overwhelming evidence of its value, Wisconsin’s ECE sector is in crisis.

Access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education isn’t just a family issue - it’s a statewide economic imperative. In a new opinion piece published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gregory Wesley, JoAnne Anton and Milwaukee Succeeds’ Executive Director Vincent Lyles call on state leaders to take urgent action.