Panel and Open Discussion: Child Care in the Wisconsin State Budget and Beyond

Name: Panel and Open Discussion: Child Care in the Wisconsin State Budget and Beyond
Start: 2025-02-21T16:00:00-06:00
Location: Riverview Room (3rd floor) L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library

Schedule

Fri, 21 Feb, 2025 at 04:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Riverview Room (3rd floor) L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library | Eau Claire, WI

Child Care in the Wisconsin State Budget and Beyond - What We Have, What We Need, and What We Can Do
Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN) and Ms. Julia's Schoolia are hosting a panel discussion in response to remarks made by Representative Karen Hurd, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, about child care funding. She essentially said that Wisconsin already significantly invests in child care in the state budget so there won’t be additional dollars. However, this is inaccurate. Wisconsin accepts Federal funding through the Child Care Development Block grant. The 23-25 budget, act 19 page 84, shows the $1.4 billion of Federal dollars allocated for with 56 million “other” as the required “match” in state General Purpose Revenue budgeted for meeting our federal match and Maintenance of effort requirements for WI Shares. “I will be frank with you,” Rep. Hurd said at the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce’s January 24th event Eggs & Issues: Tackling Our Childcare Challenges. “We don’t have the money in the budget to do Child Care Counts.”
This will be a great chance to hear from panelists Senator Jeff Smith, Representative Jodi Emerson, Julia Bennker of her in-home childcare center Ms. Julia's Schoolia, Caitlin Mitchell the director of Spots and Stripes Early Learning Center, Chris Hambuch-Boyle from the Wisconsin Public Education Network, as well as Julie Betchkal the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health. Corrine Hendrickson of Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN) will moderate the discussion about the importance of funding childcare, explain the current landscape, the devastating reality if the state does not invest, and what will be possible once the funding is provided.
There will be time for questions and further discussion among the attendees.
Children are welcome! There will be an area for quiet play.