Over $190 million invested in early care and education
The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced plans for additional programs aimed at supporting Wisconsin’s early care and education (ECE) industry, and the families it serves. The programs, which are funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), will run until 2024, and focus on increasing access to highquality, affordable childcare and supporting the ECE workforce.
“Wisconsin has made an unprecedented investment in the early care and education industry, which has stabilized it to almost pre-pandemic levels,” said DCF secretary Emilie Amundson. “These additional programs will help us continue to build upon that momentum and build a stronger ECE system that supports all Wisconsin families.”
The DCF submitted a formal request to the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) Dec. 3, 2021, outlining its proposed programs, and received an amended approval Feb. 9. The amended proposal includes the following:
• $112.3 million to extend the monthly Child Care Counts payment program through the end of 2023
• $30.6 million to expand the T.E.A.C.H. and REWARD programs
• $15.9 million to pilot a childcare assistance program, aimed at connecting families receiving birth-to-three services, with high-quality, affordable childcare
• $10 million to build an employer-supported childcare program, where employers can receive funding to secure local childcare slots
• $8.4 million to continue and enhance the Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN)
• $5 million to build a statewide Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program, to assist early care and education providers, in addressing challenging behaviors and reduce program expulsions
• $4.8 million to expand early childhood-related services, provided by Family Resource Centers
• $2.5 million to design a new grant program to assist childcare providers in becoming regulated
• $906,760 to implement an ECE workforce employee assistance program
• $480,000 to support healthy child development, through evidence-based social emotional tools With the addition of these programs, there is more than $824 million from the state invested in federal relief funds, to stabilize and grow the ECE community.
Early care and education providers who are interested in learning more about funding opportunities/programs, can visit dcf.wisconsin.gov.
