MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address highlighting initiatives included in his 2025-27 Executive Budget to lower out-of-pocket child care costs, expand provider capacity, and cut child care waitlists.
Gov. Evers’ budget proposal makes meaningful investments in Wisconsin’s child care industry to help lower the cost of child care for working families, ensure child care providers can recruit and retain dedicated workers, and make child care more accessible by filling available slots and preventing further child care closures. The governor’s budget will invest over $500 million to lower child care costs, support the industry, invest in employer-sponsored child care, and make the successful Child Care Counts Program permanent.
The Child Care Counts Program was created during the pandemic to support the child care industry by helping child care providers increase wages, provide benefits, and expand access to care for families. To date, the program has helped over 5,300 child care providers keep their doors open, ensuring the employment of over 64,500 child care professionals and allowing providers to continue care for more than 364,000 kids.
Unfortunately, due to Republican lawmakers’ refusal to provide funding for Child Care Counts in the 2023-25 biennial budget or in the subsequent special session called by the governor, the program is set to end by the end of June 2025.
Failing to stabilize and invest in Wisconsin’s child care industry could have disastrous consequences for Wisconsin’s families, workforce, and economy. A report from The Century Foundation found that without additional continued investments, 2,110 child care programs are projected to close, resulting in over 87,000 kids without child care in Wisconsin and the loss of over 4,880 child care jobs. Additionally, the lack of access to child care could potentially cause about half a billion dollars in economic impacts across the state.
The governor’s more than $500 million investment in his 2025-27 Executive Budget to help support child care for working families across the state includes:
- $480 million to continue the successful Child Care Counts Program;
- Over $5.5 million for employer-sponsored child care;
- Over $1 million for the Early Childhood Health Consultation program;
- $500,000 for the Wisconsin Out of School Time Alliance;
- $1 million to fill the gap of unmet child care needs in Tribal areas;
- $4.3 million to defray the cost of training child care workers; $506,000 for additional IT funding;
- $5.5 million to increase support for new start-ups and existing providers;
- $11.5 million to provide a dedicated fund for out-of-school time programs;
- Over $2.8 million to ensure Wisconsin Shares applicants qualify for up to three months while their application is being reviewed;
- Over $2.5 million for IT costs related to providing 12-month Wisconsin Shares authorizations;
- $21.3 million to re-estimate base costs of Wisconsin Shares and increase affordability;
- $20.5 million to cap child care copayments at seven percent of income as federally required and waive copayments for families below 150 percent of the federal poverty level;
- $7.1 million to ensure clean, safe drinking water at child care centers; and
- Creating a framework for community-based 4k.
RADIO ADDRESS
Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.
In 2025, the Year of the Kid, I’m excited to be proposing the most pro-kid budget in state history.
And part of doing what’s best for our kids means making quality child care more affordable and accessible.
Child care is too darn expensive. We have to fix that. And it’s a key part of my plan to help lower everyday, out-of-pocket costs for working families.
It costs more to put two young kids in child care in Wisconsin than it does to pay the average rent or mortgage.
And even if folks can find affordable care, families may be waitlisted for months. Child care providers are stuck increasing costs while classrooms stay closed and waitlists grow.
It’s why my comprehensive plan to lower everyday, out-of-pocket costs for working families aims to help make child care more affordable, expand provider capacity, and reduce child care waitlists for families across our state.
Lowering the cost of child care is about doing what’s best for our kids while doing what’s best for our workforce and our economy, too.
My pro-kid budget invests over $500 million to make our Child Care Counts Program permanent and ongoing.
Without additional continued investments, over 2,000 child care programs are projected to close, resulting in over 87,000 children without child care in Wisconsin.
And the resulting lack of access to child care could potentially cause about half a billion dollars in economic impacts across the state.
Folks, failing to stabilize our child care industry will have disastrous consequences for working families, our workforce, and our economy.
Wisconsinites need the Legislature to get serious about lowering out-of-pocket costs for child care this session. No more excuses, folks.
It’s time to make child care more affordable in Wisconsin.
Let’s invest in our child care providers so that they can hire more staff and reduce waitlists so that we can give working parents and families a little more breathing room in their household budgets.
That’s a win-win-win-win for our kids, our families, our workforce, and our state.
Thank you.
Last Update: Mar 28, 2025 10:04 am CDT
