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State Republican Legislators Discuss Childcare Proposals

Friday, September 8th, 2023 -- 10:00 AM

(By Margaret Faust, Wisconsin Public Radio) Republican legislators hope to expand access to daycare by loosening restrictions on daycare providers, the proposals coming after they rejected Gov. Tony Evers plan to spend $340 million on the Child Care Counts program.

According to Margaret Faust with Wisconsin Public Radio, at a public hearing Wednesday on the five bills aimed at child care, most of the discussion focused on two issues, a plan to allow increased ratios of adult staff to children and infants in care and a proposal to allow 16-year-olds to work as assistant child care providers at daycare businesses.

Meanwhile, Evers called for a Sept. 20 special session to address child care shortages in the state. Those who spoke at the hearing agreed on the problems in the industry, provider burnout, worker shortages, high demands for care, outdated infrastructure and low wages.

But there were few agreements on solutions. Assembly Bill 390 would lower the age of assistant child care providers from 17 to 16. According to the Department of Children and Families, there are no other states in the Midwest that allow 16-year-olds in that role.

State Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton said she spoke to a childcare provider in her district who told her the change would put children at risk. Over half of Wisconsin is in a child care desert, meaning for every open child care slot available in a community, there are three or more children who need it, according to a report by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association.

Statewide, 288,430 children have a potential need for child care. There are 171,040 slots available, according to the same report. Pandemic-era funding called Child Care Counts helped alleviate some of Wisconsin’s child care issues but the program will end in January.

Evers included $340 million to continue Child Care Counts in his 2023-25 budget, but Republicans removed the money.

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