At Building Our Future, we are committed to finding solutions that support families and children in our community. We believe that by understanding the data and engaging in thoughtful discussion, we can work together to create positive change. This month we want to share a data visualization presented by the University of Wisconsin’s Public Health Institute that sheds light on the unaffordability of childcare in Wisconsin. If you have been following BOF’s work, you’ll know this is a pressing issue, and Kenosha is not immune to its impact.
 
The map we are sharing highlights the alarming extent of childcare costs across the United States and provides a specific comparison for Kenosha County. It reveals the challenges faced by families in accessing affordable childcare and brings attention to the need for actionable solutions.
 
We encourage you to explore the interactive dashboard, which showcases the data visualization. As you interact with the map, we invite you to consider the following questions:
 
What stands out to you the most?
What might the ripple effects to the economy look like if nothing is done about childcare affordability?
What are all the components that need to change for childcare to become affordable for families?
How can you leverage this data to advocate for more accessible and affordable childcare options in Kenosha? 

In June of 2022, the Southeast Wisconsin Child Care Workforce Coalition partnered with Kenosha Area Business Alliance and Racine County Economic Development Corporation to conduct a survey aimed at better understanding the impact of child care on local employers and the workforce. The survey was inspired, in part, by Project Growth's Wisconsin Employer Perceptions of Early Care and Education statewide research, which can be found here. To download the 1-page summary of our local survey results click here!
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Due to work that BOF convened in late 2021 around the child care workforce, we are excited to share that the Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) will be expanding to Kenosha and Racine Counties.

A program of Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA), WEESSN connects family child care providers and center-based child care programs together to benefit from shared resources, staff, and expertise. WEESSN offers a tiered level of services from simple information sharing in Tier 1 to deep collaboration in Tier 3. Any child care provider in Wisconsin is eligible to join Tiers 1 and 2, and WEESSN is excited to announce that Tier 3 services will soon be available in Kenosha and Racine Counties. Tier 3 services will be available to 40 child care programs in the region.

Please join the WEESSN team for an information session on May 4th that will contain a presentation on the history of WEESSN and how WEESSN can support family and group child care providers through pooling shared staffing, resources, knowledge, and expertise. You will hear stories of how WEESSN has positively impacted programs across the other 16 counties in Wisconsin already served at Tier 3. Think of WEESSN as an extra team member dedicated to helping providers improve programming, decrease costs, and save time. Their #1 goal is to make providers' professional lives less stressful. 

There are two options for attending. There is no need to attend both sessions because the same content will be shared. Please register in advance here:

1:00pm Time - Register

OR

6:30pm Time - Register