EAU CLAIRE 鈥 State Rep. Jodi Emerson is still hopeful that the Republican-led Legislature will approve legislation for child care centers before the Child Care Counts Program ends at the conclusion of the year.
The Legislature met in a special session on Sept. 20 but took no action.
鈥淭he fact that they didn鈥檛 just gavel out gives us some hope,鈥 Emerson, D-Eau Claire, said. 鈥淲e continue to have meetings with stakeholders. The special session is technically open.鈥
Gov. Tony Evers toured Beautiful Minds Child Care in Eau Claire on Monday, continuing to push the legislators to fund the program. Earlier this year, Evers called for the state to contribute $350 million for child care to make the pandemic-era Child Care Counts Program permanent. The program is slated to run out of funding in January. The program has handed out nearly $600 million to more than 4,900 child care providers from March 2020 through March 2023, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. He said that without it, people will leave the workforce because they will be forced to quit jobs to stay home with young children.
Evers, Emerson and State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-town of Brunswick, met with employees and saw the children who attend the center.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working hard on it,鈥 Evers said. 鈥淲e have to address this issue, and hopefully we鈥檒l do it in a positive way. We just can鈥檛 do nothing. Either (child care centers) will have to raise their rates, or pay people less. To me, it鈥檚 a no-brainer.鈥
In recent months, Evers has visited other child care centers in Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Menomonie and Bruce, pushing the Legislature to fund Child Care Counts Program.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure we鈥檙e approaching 30 (child care centers), and everywhere it鈥檚 the same,鈥 Evers said. 鈥淭hey are fearful of raising their rates, because they know some people will not be flat-out able to afford it.鈥
Tonya Bandoli, Beautiful Minds director, said they are licensed for 111 children but have a daily average of between 65 and 70. Already, low pay is having an impact, even before the Child Care Counts Program funding runs out.
鈥淲e did lose three high-quality staff in the last month,鈥 Bandoli said.
At the same time, parents have been relucant to send their children there because of the costs.
鈥淧eople aren鈥檛 really calling unless it鈥檚 for infants. And our waiting list for under-2 is out until February,鈥 she said.
Emerson echoed Evers鈥 comments, noting people will leave their jobs and stay home with their children if they can鈥檛 afford the child care payments.
鈥淭hey are the workforce of our workforce, and we need to support them,鈥 Emerson said.
Evers defends stadium revenue push
American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, is in need of repairs. Earlier this year,, Evers proposed giving the team almost $300 million in the state budget in exchange for the team extending its lease by 13 years, to 2043. Evers would have pulled the money from the state鈥檚 $7 billion surplus, but Republican lawmakers killed the plan after Assembly Majority Leader Robin Vos said he wanted a longer lease extension.
Republicans have proposed their own legislation for $614 million in public funding, which includes Milwaukee contributing $202 million and Milwaukee County adding $135 million.
Evers called the Brewers 鈥渁 state team,鈥 noting that with the retractable roof, it means fans from everywhere can drive to Milwaukee, knowing the game will be played.
鈥淚t impacts everyone in the state of Wisconsin,鈥 Evers said during the child care visit. 鈥淚 believe we can get (funding) across the finish line. It has to be done. Sending the message that Major League Baseball doesn鈥檛 belong in Wisconsin hurts everyone in the state.鈥
The stadium opened in 2001 as Miller Park and it replaced aging County Stadium. Construction cost about $392 million and was funded largely through a 0.1% sales tax imposed in Milwaukee County and the four other counties that surround the stadium.