BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Childcare providers are sounding the alarm — warning parents that ending a pandemic program could put their daycares at risk.
About 4,900 daycares benefit from the Childcare Counts Program. Gov. Tony Evers asked for another $340 million to continue to fund this program. The Joint Finance Committee voted to end funding for the pandemic-era program.
The legislative fiscal bureau estimates nearly $600 million has been handed out. It was meant to help struggling daycare providers make ends meet and encourage parents to return to the workforce.
Subhra Gupta, owner of Kiddie Academy of Brookfield, says that means she may not be able to afford providing continuing education programs for her staff or build more childcare facilities in our area. “Let's say we used to get $20,000 a month. Right now were getting like $11-12,000 a month, so that is a significant decrease and on top of that you say 'okay you don’t get anything starting February, that’s like zero per month.'”
Funding is set to end in February. The Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association sent an e-mail blast Monday, calling on providers to strike or walkout on Tuesday, when legislators plan to finalize the budget. They are calling it their last course of action.
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