Gov. Evers requests funds be released to help Wisconsin's child care providers

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is calling for the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance to release funding for child care providers, marking the most recent development in a long-standing partisan debate on how to stabilize the industry.

The state’s 2023-2025 biennial budget set aside $15 million for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to use to help child care providers. The request, submitted by Evers and the WEDC on Monday, asks that these funds be released and put toward the Child Care Counts Program.

Democrats and many child care advocates have long advocated for the continuation of the program, which funnels federal pandemic relief funding to child care businesses across the state. The Department of Children and Families program began in 2020, and it was set to end by this year, until Evers’ directed $170 million to continue it through June 2025.

More: Wisconsin Democrats talk a lot about Child Care Counts. But what is it?

After that, without another funding source, the state will be left to face a fiscal cliff that could cost an estimated 87,000 children their child care spots, according to a report from The Century Foundation. Over 2,000 Wisconsin child care programs are projected to close, the report continued.

“It’s no secret that without sustainable, meaningful investments, our state’s child care industry faces imminent collapse, which would be a disaster for our kids, our working families, our workforce and economy,” Evers said in a press release. “I will continue to do what’s best for our kids, and I urge Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee to approve this request without delay.”

Ongoing debate over loans versus grants

But, given the ongoing tug-of-war over how to spend this $15 million, there’s a decent chance the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance won’t fulfill WEDC and Evers’ request.

In his budget proposal, Evers included $340 million to make Child Care Counts permanent. Instead, the Joint Committee on Finance set aside the $15 million for WEDC, intending it to be used to create loans for child care providers.

Evers partially vetoed the budget passed by the Assembly and Senate, removing the provision’s references to revolving loans. This created the possibility that WEDC could use the money for grants to child care providers.

But Republicans continued to push for their loan fund, advancing a related bill that Evers later vetoed. This bill was one of six in a package Republicans put forth to address the state’s child care issues. It was the only one in the package to make it to Evers’ desk.

While technically the funding could be put toward grants like Child Care Counts, the fate of Evers’ recent proposal is in the hands of the Joint Committee on Finance.

The committee’s co-chairs, Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam), along with its vice chairs Rep. Terry Katsma (R-Oostburg) and Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) could not be immediately reached for comment.

Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Evers requests funds be released for Wisconsin child care providers