Wisconsin
Policy Strategies & Innovations Link copied!
Innovation Name | Innovation Type | Innovation Subtype | Features at a Glance | Strategy Summary |
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Partner Up! Grant Program | Workforce | Benefits | Helps child care businesses cover the cost of child care for employees |
First implemented in June 2022, the Partner Up! grant program provides funding to help businesses purchase child care slots on behalf of their employees. Child care programs can apply as businesses to help cover the cost of child care expenses for their own staff. This program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act, the Preschool Development Grant, and Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy and Training. Learn more: Partner up! Grant ProgramSources: |
Wisconsin Early Childhood Integrated Data System | Infrastructure Systems | Data Systems | Early Childhood Integrated Data System |
The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Department of Health Services (DHS) and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) have hosted the state’s Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS)since 2017. The system fosters data-sharing agreements and a data-sharing process for the agencies' demographic, program, and individual data on early childhood services, including child care subsidies, child support, birth records, early health records, maternal health, attendance, and enrollment. The system uses a matching system and encrypted file manager tool to upload deidentified data to an ECIDS portal for researchers’ and agencies’ projects and analyses. The Wisconsin ECIDS compliments the Department of Public Instruction’s WiseDash system, which contains deidentified individual data available by request. The system is funded through a federal Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant. Learn more: Wisconsin's Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) |
Wisconsin Four-Year-Old Kindergarten | Expansion | Universal Pre-K Policy (3-Year-Olds) Universal Pre-K Policy (4-Year-Olds) More Than 60% of Children Served (4-Year-Olds) | Percentage of 4-year-olds enrolled (as of 2022): 61% |
In 1898, the Wisconsin State Legislature voted to permit schools to establish 4-year-old kindergarten (4K) alongside 5-year-old kindergarten (5K). 4K is now available to all children who turn 4 years old on or before September 1st of the school year. The program is universal, free, and voluntary for families, and it is offered through a mixed-delivery system. 4K’s delivery model is varied and includes half-day and full-day programs, offered across 97% of the state’s districts and in partner child care, Head Start, and private programs. Wisconsin received a Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five Renewal in 2021, which was used to conduct a needs assessment and development of a strategic plan to further expand access to public programs. Learn More: Wisconsin Four-Year-Old KindergartenSources: |
REWARD Wisconsin | Workforce | Bonuses and Supplemental Pay Professional Learning | $500 to $1,900 per educator per year, with an average supplement of $615 |
Wisconsin's REWARD program provides supplemental pay to early childhood educators based on their education level and commitment to their early education program. REWARD is designed to retain and support the professional development of early childhood educators; in turn, this creates a more stable workforce with the skills needed to support young children's healthy learning and development. Supplements range from $500 to $1,900 per educator per year, with an average payment of $615. Amounts increase as educators obtain more formal education, and educators must remain in their early education program for at least six months to qualify for an award. In FY22, REWARD provided supplements to 11,381 early educators; turnover among recipients was 1%, which is much lower than the estimated 26-40% turnover rate among educators in licensed child care programs nationwide. Learn More: REWARD ProgramSources: |
Demographics Link copied!
State population
5,892,539 Source U.S. Census, 2022
Rural %
32.9% Source U.S. Census, 2020
Urban %
67.1% Source U.S. Census, 2020
Number of children age 0-4
320,245 Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Poverty levels – children 0-8 below 200% poverty
35% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Median family income among households with children
$87,000.00 Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Unemployment rate
3.2% Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, December 2022
Unemployment rate of parents
4% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Children under age 6 with all available parents in the labor force
73% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Children living in households with a high housing cost burden
21% Source KIDS COUNT, 2021
Political Landscape Link copied!
Year | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | D | D | D | D | D |
House | R | R | R | R | R |
Senate | R | R | R | R | R |
Early Childhood Education Programs Link copied!
Public pre-K program name
Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Program (4K) Source: NIEER 2023
Universal or targeted pre-K policy
Universal Pre-K Policy (4-Year-Olds) Source: NIEER 2023
Percent of population enrolled in public early childhood education programs Source: NIEER 2023
Programs
- Children enrolled in 3-year-old state-funded public pre-K (0.05%)
- 3-yeard-old Children enrolled in Head Start (12%)
- Other/none (87.95%)
Percent of 4 year-old population enrolled in public early childhood education programs Source: NIEER 2023
Programs
- Children enrolled in 4-year-old state-funded public pre-K (61%)
- 4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start (8%)
- Other/none (31%)
Workforce Link copied!
2017–2019 Median Hourly Wages Source CSCCE 2018, 2020
Role
- Child care workers
- Preschool teachers
- Preschool or child care center directors
Funding Sources Link copied!
Funding acronyms: CCDBG: Child Care and Development Block Grant; CARES Act: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; CRRSE Act: Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations; ARPA: American Rescue Plan Act; CCDF: Child Care and Development Fund; MIECHV: Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program; IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
The COVID Funding Cliff
All federal COVID relief allocations, including funding authorized by the CARES, CRRSE, and ARPA bills, must be fully spent by September 2024. An analysis from the Century Foundation shows this loss of funds could cause more than 3 million children to lose access to child care nationwide – including more than 87,000 children in Wisconsin.