Child Care Crisis Makes Headlines in BizTimes
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, cutting off a critical financial lifeline.
CCC, a pandemic-era relief program, has been a vital source of support for thousands of Wisconsin providers, including more than 2,200 in Milwaukee County. Since its launch in March 2020, the program has distributed $879 million statewide, including $214.8 million in Milwaukee County alone. These funds have been used to cover essential expenses like wages, utilities, food and classroom supplies – costs that are often the difference between staying open and closing for many small, community-based centers.
Our recent report, Still Making Every Dollar Count, provided much of the data cited in the BizTimes article, including a stark warning about the potential impact of the expiration of CCC. The report found that Milwaukee already faces a shortage of more than 2,600 child care slots, and if 100 providers close as anticipated, at least 800 additional slots could be lost, further straining an already overstretched system.
The article captures the voices of local providers like Charlotte Lewis, owner of Learning Institute MKE LLC, who shared the very real fears many center owners have about the uncertain road ahead. Lewis, who started her center in 2022, said she may have to close without continued CCC funding.
“We’re listening, we’re watching, we’re praying that we stay afloat,” Lewis told the BizTimes.
Milwaukee Succeeds staff also shared insights in the article, including Samantha Reynoso, early childhood education data analyst, who emphasized the immense sacrifices many providers are now making to keep their doors open.
“They just really want to give to their community and to their families,” Reynoso said. “They often get second jobs to try to stay afloat so they can stay open to support their families. They don’t charge co-pays sometimes because they know that their families can’t afford it. It’s heartbreaking to hear how they have to stretch themselves so thin and have sacrificed their own economic security to try to support their community because they know that it is such a desperate need.”
Governor Tony Evers, who has pushed for sustained child care funding, also weighed in on the stakes in an April news release. “If we don’t make needed investments to support our child care providers and industry, programs will close, waitlists will get even longer, providers will be forced to raise prices, and parents and loved ones who can’t afford for costs to get any higher may have to leave our workforce,” he said.
As the BizTimes article highlights, this crisis is about more than just keeping programs afloat. It’s about ensuring that families can continue to work, that children have safe and nurturing places to learn and grow, and that communities like ours can thrive.
