(The Center Square) – Democratic lawmakers introduced Thursday a $480 million child care plan to address care affordability and education staffing shortages in Wisconsin.
The legislation was introduced after Republicans cut more $480 million in child care from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal.
“Federal funding has been essential in continuing successful programs that support our early educators, child care providers, parents, and most importantly, our kids,” Rep. Alex Joers, D-Middleton, said. “With this impending deadline, childcare providers and early educators are faced with the impossible decision to either raise rates or have to close altogether.”
The Democrats’ plan would roughly equal the more-than $480 million for the Child Care Counts Program that Republicans cut from Evers’ proposal.
In Wisconsin, 48,000 children are on the waitlist for child care, according to Joers, and without legislation 78% of providers will have to raise rates for infant care.
“If nothing changes, parents will have to find an additional $2,600 in their yearly budget to provide for their families,” Joers said.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, claimed the plan addresses both affordability and staffing shortages in the state.
“Over 60% of child care classrooms are empty or have slots to fill because they don’t have the teachers to fill them,” Roys said. “This is a supply problem, and you can’t fix that with more money. You need to have more teachers in the workforce, and that’s where the state has to step in.”
Joint Committee on Finance co-chairs Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, and Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, previously said some items cut from Evers’ budget proposal weren’t bad but should have instead been separate legislation introduced through the normal legislative process, including public hearings and separate votes from different Assembly committees.
After the budget cuts, Born had said the next step to push cut items through correctly would be to introduce them through the legislature.
Now that child care funding is being introduced as legislation and not a budget item proposal, some Democrats have expressed hope that Republicans can help pass the bill before federal funding runs out.
“Republicans can either join us in figuring this out now, or otherwise we have this proven solution right here that goes to waste,” Joers said.
Republican legislators did not respond for comment at the time of publication.
