Ambassadors Share ECE Realities in new Video Series
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.
The video interviews highlight the personal impact of the child care crisis, from long waitlists and rising costs to low wages and burnout among providers. These stories underscore a critical reality: Families can’t find affordable care, and providers can’t afford to keep going.
“What shocked me the most when I was looking for child care was I had no grasp on the amount of money that I would be paying, even just for one child,” said Vanessa Giraldez, who is both a parent and service navigator for families navigating mental health support systems. “For myself, I had to look at going down to part-time work. And I’m not alone in those statistics. There’s 42% of Wisconsin women that have to either cut their hours or leave the workforce altogether.”
Fellow Ambassador Taffie Foster-Toney agrees. “The cost of child care is ridiculous. You’re actually paying the same amount as if you were paying for a college education. That is outrageous. … We need our families to be able to go to work, to contribute to the economy. Something needs to be done, otherwise things are just going to get worse.”
LaDonna Foster, an Ambassador and former child care provider, explained the hardships of being an educator in today’s climate. “I got out of the field because I was just disappointed in the pay that I was receiving. They wanted to just give me $16/hour and I have a degree. And over 30 years of experience.”
In addition to the video series, Milwaukee Succeeds’ data was featured in a connected article examining Wisconsin’s deepening child care crisis and the urgent need for legislative action. As pandemic-era federal funding for the Child Care Counts program runs out, Governor Tony Evers has proposed a $480 million investment to keep the child care sector afloat. With state budget negotiations currently stalled, however, the future of this funding – and the stability of Wisconsin’s ECE system – remains uncertain.
Milwaukee Succeeds continues to call for bold, long-term public investment in early education, grounded in local voices and informed by proven strategies from other states. New Mexico and Vermont, for instance, are showing what’s possible, with policies that prioritize affordability, workforce retention and sustainable funding.
As Wisconsin debates its path forward, the voices of our ECE Ambassadors remind us what’s at stake: the well-being of children, families and the future of our communities.
