MADISON—As the Joint Committee on Finance announced the cancellation of today’s meeting, which would have taken up the Department of Children and Families budget, Democratic members and other legislators visited Learning Ladder in Cottage Grove. The child care center closed last year after Republicans removed Child Care Counts from the budget. Lawmakers called for urgent and direct investment in Wisconsin’s child care system, and this is the outcome of inadequate investments into our early childhood education.

In this budget, Governor Evers has proposed a $540 million investment to stabilize the child care workforce, keep providers open, and lower costs for working families. Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee are bringing forward a motion that meets the scale of this crisis with real funding for providers and support for parents struggling to stay in the workforce.

“When Learning Ladder closed, it was not just a loss for Cottage Grove. It was a warning for the entire state. And Learning Ladder is not the only closure that has happened or will happen. Governor Evers saw this crisis coming, and when Republicans failed to act, he did everything he could to keep child care centers afloat. Now, we have a chance to stop the bleeding and invest in the care economy that every community relies on.”

“The Republican bills introduced this week offer no money, no wage support, and no help for families. What they do offer is deregulation, lower standards, and a roadmap to even more closures. The Joint Finance Committee can still choose a different path - one that stabilizes the industry for good.”