Gov. Evers Announces Plan to Bolster Child Care Statewide for Working Families

During his 2023 State of the State address tonight, Gov. Tony Evers announced he will be proposing additional support to make child care more affordable and accessible for working families and bolster child care providers statewide in his 2023-25 biennial budget proposal, including providing investments in the Child Care Counts: COVID-19 Stabilization Payment Program and the "Partner Up!" Program.

In his 2023 State of the State address delivered tonight, Gov. Evers highlighted the Evers Administration's efforts to stabilize the child care industry during the coronavirus pandemic. The governor also announced initiatives from his 2023-25 executive budget to further bolster the child care sector, defray child care costs for working families by expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and support employer-child care provider partnerships:

"...If we want to address our state's workforce challenges, we have to make sure child care is accessible and affordable. And together we will.

"So, the first thing I'm going to do is deliver on my promise to expand the Child and Dependent Care Credit, which will provide nearly $30 million in tax relief to more than 100,000 Wisconsinites.

"Through our Partner Up! Program, more than 200 employers from Prescott to Two Rivers are helping make child care more affordable for their employees. We also helped stabilize the child care industry through our monthly Child Care Counts Program, providing the financial stability providers needed to stay open and recruit and retain quality staff to care for our kids. All told, we helped more than 3,300 providers across the state keep their doors open; we helped more than 22,000 child care professionals stay employed or become employed; and we helped ensure care continued for more than 113,000 kids across our state. That's a big deal, folks.

"These two programs made a big difference in the lives of kids and working families across Wisconsin. But the reality is that the federal funds that support them won't last forever. So, we'll be continuing these programs to keep child care affordable and accessible in my budget. We're going to provide more than $340 million for Child Care Counts so providers can have the financial stability they need to keep the lights on, pay their workers fair, competitive wages, and continue to provide high-quality care to kids across the state.

"We'll also be investing more than $22 million into the Partner Up! program to expand partnerships between employers and child care providers. Our employers are ready to play a role in ensuring workers have access to affordable child care, and we're ready to support them. …"

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