The Northeast Wisconsin Child Care Alliance is a network of partners working to make it easier for children ages birth to 5 and their families to get the high-quality, affordable early care and education (ECE) and family supports they need to thrive.
Our newsletters aim to educate and inform our communities about the need to transform early care and education in ways that will bring about more equitable and lasting outcomes for children and families and to spark opportunities for action, alignment, and coordination.
This month you’ll find:
LOCAL + STATE NEWS:
- Biennial Budget Passed includes investments in Child Care
- Basic Needs Giving Partnership (BNGP) announces new Executive Director, Adam O’Doherty
- Encompass awarded the Large Business Growth Award at the Greater Green Bay Chamber Recognition Luncheon on Tuesday, June 17th and hosts visit from Governor Evers at their West De Pere Center
- WHBY Focus Fox Valley with Hayley Tenpas, highlights parent perspective on the child care crisis in an episode featuring Carolyn Desrosiers and Taylor Vande Vyver
OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE & LEARN:
- Alliance partners attend Children’s Funding Institute
- The Department of Children & Families (DCF) engages providers from across the region to offer perspectives and input on child care licensing rules
- For Funders: The Asset Funders Network is offering a webinar for grantmakers committed to strengthening the care economy on July 24th at 12:00pm. Register and learn more here
Local News
Biennial Budget Passed with investments in Child Care
Governor Evers signed the 2025-2027 state budget on July 3 that includes noted investments in child care, including:
- $110 million in direct provider payments through June 2026
- $123 million in added revenue for WI Shares to ensure better rates for income constrained families
- $65 million in General Purpose Revenue (GPR) funding for a school readiness program for 4-year-olds
The GPR investment is an important first for Wisconsin – which was just one of six states in the country that hasn’t invested any additional tax dollars in early care other than what was required for the federal match.
These gains were made possible from bipartisan discussions and months and years of advocacy from parents, providers, business leaders, and community members. We are celebrating these wins as a strong foundation to build from while recognizing there is more work to be done. Deep gratitude to members of the NE Wisconsin Child Care Alliance and partners from across the state who worked tirelessly for these gains. We remain committed to ensure continued progress in supports for children, families and providers.
We’ll continue to share information via our newsletter about how these investments will be implemented. If you are a provider and want to stay more connected to potential policy and process changes, we encourage you to tap into resources from the Department of Children and Families:
- Tuesday Talks with DECE monthly webinars
- Weekly child care listserv available in English and Spanish
- The DCF website
Welcome Adam O’Doherty!
Please join us in welcoming Adam O’Doherty as the new Executive Director of the Basic Needs Giving Partnership! Adam brings a wealth of experience including support of early childhood efforts, collective impact, and developing cross-sector partnerships. Adam is looking forward to getting to know Northeast WI Child Care Alliance partners over the coming months and is excited to learn more about our vision and the great work that’s been accomplished so far.
Congratulations to Encompass
Congratulations to Encompass as they received the Greater Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Large Business Growth Award for “demonstrated exceptional growth in sales and services, infrastructure, customer base, market reach and brand awareness.” Encompass continues to serve as a true north star in quality center-based care in our region and we are delighted to celebrate their well-deserved recognition!
Governor Tony Evers and Department of Children & Families (DCF) Secretary Jeff Pertl visited Encompass’ West DePere Center on June 25th helping to bring attention to the need for state investment in child care and urge state legislators to invest in the recruitment and retention of the child care workforce.
WHBY Focus Fox Valley
WHBY’s Focus Fox Valley host Hayley Tenpas continues to shine a light on the child care crisis by highlighting parent perspectives in the June 24th show. Carolyn Desrosiers, Community Engagement Director with the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region and Taylor Vande Vyver, Parent Engagement Lead at the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA), speak candidly about the challenges, high costs, and deep value of child care from the viewpoint of working parents.
To listen to the full interview, go to the Focus Fox Valley webpage and click on the June 24th episode. The conversation begins at the 19:40 minute mark.
Opportunities to Engage & Learn
Children’s Funding Institute
Alliance partners joined with advocates from around the country to expand knowledge, build connections, and learn from other community’s successes at the Children’s Funding Institute held outside of Seattle last month. The Institute is a biennial training for communities interested in championing dedicated voter-approved funding for kids. A Wisconsin cohort of 13 individuals attended (including 7 from the Alliance!) representing Door County, Waupaca, Madison, and the greater Watertown region.
Through three days of tailored workshops, large group sessions, and dedicated planning time, participants gained tools, deepened relationships, and were inspired to learn from ballot wins championed by both urban and rural communities from California to Louisiana.
The Wisconsin cohort left feeling motivated, better equipped, and connected to resources that can help them take the next steps in their own communities. The Alliance is continuing to nurture those connections, link resources, and provide supportive spaces to advance community-led efforts in our region.
Child Care Provider Input Sessions
Thank you to the group and family child care providers for sharing their perspectives and input on child care licensing rules with Tina Feaster, Program and Policy Analyst with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) on June 24th. We appreciated the role the Alliance could play in connecting these feedback opportunities directly to providers across NE Wisconsin. We want to specifically recognize the additional time providers gave (during their lunch break or after hours) to share their first-hand experience, observations, and suggestions as DCF considers adjustments to licensing.
From thoughts on ratios, health records, staffing and assistant age requirements, and escalating insurance coverage, both in-home and group center providers engaged in productive dialogue and offered valuable insights, comments, and recommendations for reducing barriers.
DCF plans to continue stakeholder outreach throughout the summer. Over the next several months they will begin the work of re-writing or adjusting rules using the feedback provided from across the state. The process will include public hearings later this year, at which time providers and stakeholders can comment on any proposed rule changes.
Asset Funders Network
If you represent a funding organization, the Asset Funders Network (AFN) is hosting a webinar tailored to grantmakers committed to strengthening the care economy – from early childhood to aging and everything in between. The webinar is July 24 at 12:00 CT. Learn more and register on AFN’s website.
Why it matters:
- Philanthropic investment in care fuels economic equity, strengthens families, builds community infrastructure, and drives sustainable economic growth.
- Unpaid caregivers—primarily women—contribute $873.5 billion in labor annually.
- The paid care sector is rapidly expanding. U.S. home care alone is projected to exceed $107B in 2025.
- Child care gaps cost the U.S. economy $122B a year in lost productivity.
Investing just 2% of GDP in care could create millions of jobs and boost long-term economic resilience.
