For two days in Milwaukee, four Wisconsin organizations from the StriveTogether network came together with one shared purpose: creating a stronger future for kids across Wisconsin. 

The Wisconsin Partnership is made up of:

• Building Our Future Kenosha
• Achieve Brown County
• Higher Expectations for Racine County
• Milwaukee Succeeds

​Together, these organizations work to help more young people get on a path to economic mobility by improving cradle-to-career outcomes across Wisconsin communities. Why? 

This convening was dedicated to building a shared statewide policy agenda that reflects the needs, experiences, and hopes we hear from families, educators, nonprofits, employers, and communities every day. 

Over the course of the convening, we worked to: 

• Collaboratively develop a policy agenda for the next 2-4 years
• Begin establishing clear roles and responsibilities across the coalition
• Build consensus on 2026 legislative priorities
• Strengthen commitment to long-term coalition work
• Deepen ownership, connection, and excitement around the work ahead

​What emerged was not just policy discussion. It was alignment, shared purpose, and a reminder that meaningful systems change happens when our communities come together. 

1. Stabilizing Wisconsin's Child Care Sector 
The coalition identified the need for stabilizing the child care sector and ensure families have access to high-quality care. 

Strong child care systems support: 

• Children's development and learning
• Family stability
• Workforce participation
• Economic mobility across communities 

2. Ensuring Child Care Reimbursement Reflects the True Cost of Care
The coalition also focused on improving Wisconsin Share reimbursement rates so they better reflect the actual cost of providing quality child care. 

When reimbursement rates fail to meet realities providers face: 

• Early educators leave the profession
• Child care centers struggle to remain open
• Families lose access to care
• The entire sector becomes unstable 

3. Defining and Measuring Kindergarten Readiness 
The final focus area centered around establishing cohesive kindergarten readiness benchmarks and metrics across Wisconsin. 

The goal is to better understand: 

• Whether children are entering kindergarten prepared with foundational development skills
• Where intervention and support may be needed earlier 
• Whether current early childhood and K-12 policies are effectively supporting young learners

This work would help create stronger connections between early intervention systems, schools, and family supports statewide. 

As a Wisconsin Partnership, we are now preparing to develop shared 90-day action steps that help move these priorities from conversation into action. We are excited. We are eager. We are ready for the work. 

We are driven by a shared desire to ensure that every child, cradle to career, has the opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve their dreams. 

None of this work would be possible without the collaboration, leadership, and commitment of StriveTogether and all four of our organizations coming together to move Wisconsin forward. 

These two days were filled with thoughtful conversations, hard questions, strategic thinking, and passionate people who deeply care about creating a better future for kids. 
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And this is only the beginning. 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are excited to invite you to support and participate in the Stride for Minds 3K on Saturday, May 30 at Petrifying Springs Park.

This event is being organized by students involved in Building Our Future’s Youth Voice Project, who have been working hard to bring this vision to life. After successfully leading the recent school board candidate forum, our students took the initiative to engage the Kenosha County Division of Behavioral Health Services as a partner around an issue they deeply care about: mental health awareness and community wellness.

The Stride for Minds 3K is an opportunity to bring our community together through movement, connection, and purpose while uplifting youth voice and leadership.

We would greatly appreciate your support by:
• Registering to participate
• Sharing the event with your networks
• Encouraging staff, families, and community members to attend

Event Details:
📅 Saturday, May 30
⏰ 7:30 AM – 11:30 AM
📍 Petrifying Springs Park – near Biergarten
💙 Free for all ages

Register here: Stride for Minds 3K Registration
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Thank you for continuing to support opportunities that empower young people to lead and create positive change in our community.

Last month, we launched the upgraded Kenosha County Overview Data Dashboard and highlighted the opening page, “Who Lives in Kenosha?”
This month, we’re spotlighting the Kenosha’s Schools page.
This interactive page features key metrics from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s 2025 school report cards. Users can filter by school to explore student demographics and outcomes that contribute to accountability ratings.
Why it matters: Understanding school data—alongside the broader community context—helps partners identify trends, ask deeper questions, and better align strategies to support student success.
Explore the dashboard: https://www.buildingourfuturekc.org/county-overview.html
Looking for deeper cradle-to-career outcomes data? Additional dashboards are available on the Building Our Future website.