Latest news with #WisconsinDepartmentofChildrenandFamilies
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wisconsin is Cutting State Funding for Child Care. Providers are Taking a Stand.
On Monday, child care providers across the country participated in the fourth annual Day Without Child Care, closing their doors and gathering to demand a better child care system with more public dollars. In Wisconsin, some providers may remain closed for quite a while longer, according to Corrine Hendrickson, owner of a family child care program in Wisconsin, and one of the organizers of a prolonged protest — dubbed 'State Without Child Care' — which intends to push back against the state legislature's cuts to essential child care funding. While direct actions — a form of activism that uses strikes or public demonstrations — by child care providers remain relatively rare in the U.S., it may be an increasingly important arrow in the quiver when fighting for the system children, parents and providers need and deserve. At issue in Wisconsin is the fate of the state's child care stabilization fund, known as Child Care Counts. Wisconsin is one of six states that doesn't fund child care, relying instead entirely on inadequate federal funding. That temporarily changed during the pandemic, when providers began receiving regular payments through Child Care Counts that allowed them to maintain operations and kept parent fees from spiking. With these pandemic funds drying up, Gov. Tony Evers proposed $442 million over two years to continue the fund, but last week the Republican-controlled joint finance committee voted to zero out the child care money. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter If this funding ends, there will be massive consequences for children, families and providers, which is one reason providers are engaging in such an unprecedented action. As the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported, 'A quarter of child care providers are more likely to close without further funding from Child Care Counts, and those that remain could be forced to raise their rates, according to a survey released April 10 by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.' This does not appear to be hyperbolic: funding reductions to Child Care Counts over the past few years have already caused providers to increase fees and to have more difficulty hiring qualified staff. Providers have seemingly had enough. Hendrickson stated in a press release that, 'While politicians negotiate over our funding and our lives, Wisconsin working families are once again left without. We've done everything we were told to do. We called. We showed up. We shared our stories. And still, lawmakers voted to cut child care from the budget. No plan. No replacement. No respect. We've had enough and we are drawing the line.' Providers across the state began protest actions in Madison on Tuesday, May 13, and according to Hendrickson, some will remain closed until the legislature guarantees they'll restore the child care funding. Single day child care protests are increasingly common. These have been seen in Australia and Ireland, and they have proven useful at garnering media attention — in fact, the 2020 Irish protest is credited with making child care a major campaign issue that year. These have also occurred regionally in the U.S.; for example, in Connecticut in 2022, providers organized a 'Morning Without Child Care,' which became a landmark event that sparked other communities to follow suit via the now national Day Without Child Care. The Wisconsin protest sets itself apart from these one-day actions though, in that the intention is sustaining activism until the state legislature meets a specific demand. Perhaps the most notable modern example of a sustained child care work stoppage comes from Germany. In 2015, German child care staff across the country went on strike for four weeks to protest their low wages, marking one of the nation's largest post-reunification labor actions and making international headlines. (The strike ended with a modest salary increase.) Similarly, in 2004, Scotland saw a strike of 5,000 child care educators that dragged on, in some localities, for more than three months. One structural element that has made direct child care actions in the U.S. less common than in other nations is the fact that there is less government involvement to begin with. Both German and Scottish child care workers are largely hired by — and have their wages set by — municipalities, and most workers belong to a labor union. In the highly privatized and fragmented American system, there is little unionization and the divisions between employers and employees can be fuzzier; in fact, in many cases it is the owners of U.S. child care programs that are protesting. However, both Connecticut and now Wisconsin have been able to tie their demands to state legislative action, with the presence or lack of state funds for child care acting as a sort of stand-in for collective bargaining. That said, the Wisconsin providers face challenges ahead. While the movement has received support from the community organizing group Community Change, the providers are not unionized. There is no standing strike fund, and for programs operating on thin margins, every day the doors are closed poses a significant loss of revenue. And of course, the participants would much rather be providing care and learning to the children in their programs. Participating in sustained closures is emotionally fraught. For early educators, it's difficult to deprive families of a vital service they rely on. For families who will feel the impact, it's expected that reactions will vary, but looking at Connecticut as an example, parents made it clear that given the choice between a temporary stoppage and permanent closure, reduced quality, or unaffordable fee hikes, they will generally stand alongside their child care providers. Child care providers in the U.S. have long advocated passionately for more support, but have rarely engaged in prolonged protests. In Wisconsin, we're about to find out whether sustained activism is a tool that can sway policymakers.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local Childcare owner rallies for funding before traveling to Madison
EAU CLAIRE—A local childcare center closed its doors Monday to participate in the fourth annual 'Day Without Child Care' to highlight the funding needs of centers across Wisconsin and the country. Amid concerns over the consequences of the loss of Childcare Counts funding, Julia Bennker of Ms. Julia's Schoolia organized a local rally and press conference before heading out to Madison to participate in Tuesday's larger rally at the state capitol. '[The center has] been licensed for just over a year,' Bennker said. 'It started as a play group when I was in Colorado seven years ago.' Bennker said said that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding helped her with all of her start-up costs. 'That program isn't around anymore,' she said. 'I started really lucky. I got involved in child care advocacy in a meaningful way in October. Now that I own a business, it is very clear to me what role I can play in advocacy work.' While the 'Day Without Child Care' is four years old, this year's comes less than a week after the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee voted to remove Gov. Tony Ever's proposed funding for the Child Care Counts program from the state budget. This removes about $480 million, though those at the rally were still hopeful there was time to change this. This proposal was meant to supplement the loss of federal funding for the Child Care Counts program. The funding is set to expire at the end of June, with the last payments to centers coming in July. According to a report released in March by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, a quarter of childcare businesses in Wisconsin are at risk of closure without an extension of the Childcare Counts funding. Closures in rural areas are currently estimated to be around 35 percent. Attending the rally and press conference at Bennker's center were Senator Jeff Smith (D), Representative Jodi Emerson (D), Representative Christian Phelps (D), Chris Hambuch-Boyle of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, and Eau Claire City Council members Nate Otto and Jessica Schoen. 'We, as a society, need to treat childcare with the same respect we treat any education at all,' Smith said. 'Ninety percent of brain development occurs between birth and six-years-old. Why would we not treat that period of time in a person's life as valuable as we do the rest of their educational process to prepare them for life? And yet the average pay for someone doing that work is $13 an hour.' Smith emphasized that the Child Care Counts program is not enough, but that losing it will have detrimental effects on families in terms of access and cost. Emerson expressed similar sentiments. 'Childcare workers are the workforce of the workforce,' she said. 'Think about all the people that you work with who have kids at home. How many of them would not be able to show up at the office or [would need to] work virtually without these childcare providers.' Emerson mentioned that 60 percent of her daughter's take-home pay goes to providing childcare for just one child. 'Every place in the workforce is looking for workers right now and so this is what we can do,' Emerson said. 'We know that the childcare workers, the educators are drastically underpaid, but we can't keep on putting that on the backs of young families. Look at what young families are going through right now. Housing costs are skyrocketing. College costs are skyrocketing. They're paying off their student loans and then they're paying 60 percent of their weekly wages to a childcare provider.' In addition to several planning to drive out to Madison today, several who attended the rally were also aiming to speak at Monday night's City Council meeting where City Council members Otto and Schoen would be introducing a resolution to support the governor's $480 million funding for early childhood education. 'We want to send a message to the legislature that our community supports investment in early childhood education,' Otto said.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'This agency deserves to be forgiven': Ex-employees, community members advocate for SDC at hearing
After a hearing Friday, the Social Development Commission's future as a community action agency remains uncertain, but the anti-poverty agency still has the support of community members and former employees. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families held a public meeting Friday afternoon to determine if it should end SDC's designation as a community action agency, which makes it eligible for millions in federal funds. Jeff Pertl, the state department secretary, will make a final decision in the coming weeks after reviewing additional documents from SDC and comments from the public, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He said it was clear that SDC was supported by employees and community members and that programming needs to return as soon as possible. "What I care about is turning back on services," Pertl said. All 10 community members at the hearing advocated for SDC to keep its status as a community action agency. Antonio Butts, the executive director of Walnut Way Conservation Corp, one of SDC's community partners, said SDC losing this designation would "destabilize the entire safety net of the community." He urged the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families to give the community more time to voice its support for SDC. "The public just hasn't had this opportunity to speak up," Butts said. "There are thousands of people who will want to know about this today." Former employees shared stories of how the agency's many programs benefited the community. Lasonda Buck, a former housing division manager at SDC, said her department disbursed over $90 million in rental assistance, taught people how to budget and helped homeowners keep up with their mortgages. "Because of a mistake, you would take that away from a community?" Buck said. "Who else would run it better than SDC? I don't believe there's an agency that could do it." SDC closed its doors and halted services last April. It opened again last December, but the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families says SDC hasn't resumed the services it is responsible for providing as a community action agency. As a result, the department said SDC is out of compliance with state and federal law and its contract. The department also alleges SDC has continually given state officials inaccurate information about its financial health. SDC is the only community action agency in Milwaukee County. This designation makes the agency eligible for the federal Community Services Block Grant, which provides funding to hundreds of local agencies around the country to reduce poverty. William Sulton, SDC's attorney, was skeptical about the state agency's ability to find another organization to fill SDC's shoes. "SDC is truly the city and county's best chance at dealing with poverty," Sulton said. Nearly a year after the anti-poverty agency shut its doors, Thomas Hines, a former manager for youth and family services at SDC, says he still gets calls from parents. He says some of the children who received mental health and substance abuse services from SDC are now incarcerated. "We have to somehow salvage this organization," Hines said. SDC board members, including Jorge Franco, Dessie Levy and Walter Lanier, defended SDC at the hearing. Levy, who was introduced as SDC's newest commissioner during an emergency board meeting Thursday night, grew up using SDC's services, she said at the hearing. Her family used SDC's free tax preparation services, and the agency once filled a hole in her family's roof, she said. "SDC's services are extremely valuable," said Levy. "This agency deserves to be forgiven." Lanier also stood by SDC on Friday. He declared there had been "no scandal at SDC," just "mismanagement." He added that SDC's now seven-member board is "a sufficient size" and echoed Levy's calls for forgiveness. "One of the challenges, particularly for Black organizations in Milwaukee and across the country, is where the majority of organizations are given second and third chances, even where there has been scandal," Lanier said. "I'm encouraging you to allow us to move forward." Franco, who is the chief executive of both SDC and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, shared a statement from the chamber's board of directors encouraging the state agency and SDC to work out their issues. "We urge DCF to do what is right in immediately re-establishing antipoverty services to Milwaukee County through SDC and its infrastructure while the details of SDC's recent woes are worked out with you," the chamber's letter read. "We also urge SDC to do whatever is necessary to immediately establish these federal mandated antipoverty services now." Sulton, SDC's attorney, has said that losing the grant won't be the end of SDC, which had a $30.5 million operating budget last year. The public can still share comments with the state Department of Children and Families by emailing The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families raised more questions about SDC's financial standing in a letter on Wednesday. According to the letter, SDC has not provided sufficient documentation to support expenses that it is asking the state department to reimburse. The department says it came across more than $3.8 million in "outstanding payments," according to a note in SDC's March 2024 bank reconciliation. "It is unclear to DCF as to what portion, if any, was reimbursed previously by DCF," the letter says. "DCF is concerned about this unresolved issue which could result in SDC needing to repay DCF for previously reimbursed amounts that were never received by the intended recipients." The letter confirms that SDC has provided "various financial files" to DCF since December 2024, including employee timesheet reports, monthly bank statements and vendor invoices, according to the April 2 letter. However, the state department says it still hasn't been able to "entirely identify" records that substantiate expenses SDC reported in contracts with the department. This isn't the only trouble SDC is facing. The agency is also at risk of losing its main office at 1730 North Ave., a warehouse at 1810 North Ave. and several parking lots to foreclosure due to unpaid mortgages. SD Properties Inc., the real estate arm of SDC, is facing a $2.98 million foreclosure lawsuit. Forward Community Investments is suing SD Properties for $2.3 million for a 2020 construction mortgage and about $679,000 for a 2023 mortgage, according to the complaint. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ex-employees advocate for Milwaukee's Social Development Commission
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SDC could lose millions in federal funding. What to know about its upcoming hearing
Just months after reopening, the Social Development Commission is at risk of losing its status as a community action agency, putting millions in federal funding on the line. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families will decide whether to terminate the anti-poverty agency's status after a public hearing this week. Here's what to know. The hearing is on Friday, April 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first floor of the Milwaukee State Office Building at 819 N. 6th Street in conference rooms 40 and 45. The purpose of the hearing is for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families to determine if it should end SDC's designation as a community action agency. Without this designation, SDC is ineligible for the federal Community Services Block Grant, which provides funding to hundreds of local agencies around the country to reduce poverty. SDC is the only agency in Milwaukee County with this designation. SDC suddenly suspended operations last April after financial difficulties. Despite reopening partially in December, the agency has not provided any meaningful Community Services Block Grant programming since its initial closure, according to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. As a result, the department said SDC is out of compliance with state and federal law and its contract. The department also alleges SDC has continually given state officials inaccurate information about its financial health. SDC officials said they were blindsided by the department's decision and have been transparent and communicative with the state about SDC's finances. Yes. First, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families will explain the reasons it wants to terminate SDC's status. Then, community members will have the opportunity to sign up to share comments at the hearing. People can also email written comments to the state department at The deadline to send written comments is April 3. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families will share its final decision after the meeting in a formal letter. The department has not set a date for issuing its decision. No. The agency's attorney, William Sulton, said that losing the grant won't be the end of SDC, which had a $30.5 million operating budget last year. SDC was created by state statute in 1963 as a "community relations-social development commission," charged with studying, analyzing and recommending solutions to poverty. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families will work with Milwaukee County officials and other local partners to identify nearby agencies eligible for the Community Services Block Grant that can provide services to county residents, said department spokesperson Gina Paige. If those agencies decline, the state department will solicit applications from other organizations. Applicants would have to meet Community Services Block Grant requirements and gain the approval of Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, the county and city, Paige said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: SDC could lose millions in federal funds to fight poverty in Milwaukee
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor Evers visits Chippewa Falls to talk childcare
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Governor Tony Evers made a stop in Chippewa Falls to hear from community members and business leaders about making childcare accessible and affordable. He was joined by Secretary Jeff Pertl of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. After declaring 2025 the 'Year of the Kid' during his State of the State Address, Evers is aiming to continue the Child Care Counts Program, which increases childcare providers' benefits, wages, and recruitment efforts. That program is set to expire in June. Evers says it needs to continue to maintain a strong workforce in the industry, 'It's getting to a point… someone said they raised their rates and 20 people walked out the door with their kids because they couldn't afford it anymore. We have to do something. We have the resources to do it.' The budget also calls for millions of dollars in after-school program support as well as filling childcare gaps in tribal areas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
