Child Care
Child Care in Fond du Lac County
Child care programs operate on razor-thin margins. Their budgets depend on parent fees, which, despite being costly to families, do not cover the full cost of programs providing high-quality care. The federal and state funding during the pandemic provided relief to keep current child care programs open. However, the federal relief did not, and was not, intended to address the flaws of the existing system.
Most child care programs are still struggling and remain at a critical breaking point. When the Child Care Counts Stabilization payments end, Fond du Lac County child care providers will need to raise their weekly rates by an average of 30%. As it is now, child care often takes up to 1/3 of a family’s annual income. Many child care centers anticipate either closing, losing families who simply cannot afford the tuition, or losing quality employees who cannot work for lower wages. Currently over 50% of Wisconsin is in a child care desert, where there is one slot available for every three children under the age of 5. We cannot allow this situation to worsen.
Fond du Lac County families need access to high-quality, affordable child care to participate in the workforce. Our businesses need a stable workforce to operate.
Additional Resources:
2024 Wisconsin State Fact Sheet
ACES
Petition For Child Care in the Budget
Representative Letter Template
Senator Feyen Survey Results
WECA Fond du Lac County Child Care Cost
A Devastating Decline: Regulation Child Care in Waukesha County
The Future of Child Care in Fond du Lac County
The Current State of Child Care in Fond du Lac County
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