SW Wisconsin business leaders awaiting childcare funding changes

Business leaders in southwest Wisconsin are eagerly awaiting potential changes to state childcare funding as lawmakers prepare to work on the upcoming biennial budget. In his State of the State address last month, Gov. Tony Evers called for a $500 million investment in childcare in the 2025-2027 biennial budget, most of which would be used to keep the Child Care Counts program afloat. The program was launched in 2020, giving childcare providers federal money mainly to help retain staff and keep their prices stable — goals local providers said they have had difficulty achieving without the aid. Federal funds, however, ran dry in 2023, and Evers’ proposal to continue the program in full with state funds was met with gridlock in the legislature. A scaled-down version of Child Care Counts has continued since then, but is expected to end June 30, 2025, without additional state investment.