The Wisconsin Partnership Gathers to Strengthen Statewide Impact

Building Our Future is a member of the Wisconsin Partnership, a statewide coalition aimed at putting 10,000 more young people on a path to economic mobility by 2030. Read below how we convened with the rest of the Wisconsin Partnership to strategize around systems-level impact. Learn more about the Wisconsin Partnership here.
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In a time of urgency and growing opportunity, four regional organizations have come together with a shared mission: to ensure every child in Wisconsin has the opportunity to thrive, starting with access to high-quality early learning and evidence-based literacy instruction.

Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Partnership convened at the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread in Racine. This two-day gathering brought together regional leaders, state partners, and national advocates committed to transforming early childhood and early literacy systems in communities across Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Partnership is a statewide coalition of four local organizations--Achieve Brown County, Building Our Future, Higher Expectations, and Milwaukee Succeeds—that are part of the national StriveTogether network. While each works independently in its own region, the Partnership aligns around policy development, advocacy, and implementation to drive equitable cradle-to-career outcomes across the state. Together, they’re committed to putting 10,000 more young people on a path to economic mobility by 2030.

This convening also included partners from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), StriveTogether, Cornerstone Government Affairs, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and local leaders from Racine Unified and Kenosha Unified School Districts.

Strengthening Alignment Around Outcomes that Matter
The convening opened with peer-led breakout sessions centered on the StriveTogether Cradle-to-Career outcome areas that shape lifelong success including: kindergarten readiness, early literacy, postsecondary enrollment, and employment. 

Throughout this convening, both early literacy and kindergarten readiness (early childhood education) emerged again and again. 

Advancing Shared Policy Through Local Action
Throughout the convening, partners explored how to turn shared values into aligned action at the local and state levels. A workshop facilitated by the StriveTogether Policy team focused on developing local policy agendas, scoping regional work and insights into cohesive statewide storytelling.

Federal updates from Cornerstone Government Affairs helped situate the group within the broader policy landscape, while discussions with DPI provided clarity on Act 20 implementation timelines and funding expectations. Conversations emphasized the importance of lifting up community voice, tracking real impact, and building local capacity to lead this work.

To ground these policy discussions in lived experience, district leaders from Racine and Kenosha shared how their schools are navigating the early implementation of Act 20, from shifting instructional practices to supporting teachers on the frontlines of change.

Turning Alignment Into Action
The convening also served as a reflection point for the growing influence and impact of the Wisconsin Partnership. Over the past several months, the four local partnerships have taken bold, coordinated steps to advance the state’s early literacy and early childhood agendas:

• All four organizations of the Wisconsin Partnership provided testimony during Wisconsin’s Joint Finance Committee sessions held across the state.
• More than 50 community members traveled to the Capitol in Madison to share their stories at the Childcare Advocacy Day.
• The four local organizations held 20+ targeted meetings with legislators from both major parties—including one-on-one conversations and roundtables—to advocate for the release of $50 million in Act 20 implementation funding, increased per pupil funding for special education, and a sustainable investment in child care.
• The Partnership launched coordinated communications efforts, including op-eds in statewide media outlets like the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin Examiner, and others—demonstrating public, unified support for long-term systems change.
• The Wisconsin Partnership’s lobbyist has remained a steady and strategic voice in Madison, advocating for the issues that matter most to Wisconsin’s families and educators.

These efforts reflect the growing power of the Wisconsin Partnership to influence not only local conversations—but statewide policy.

Looking Ahead: A Shared Commitment to Systems Transformation
The Wisconsin Partnership knows that no single organization—or region—can transform systems alone. This work requires coordinated leadership, deep trust, and a unified voice. As the state negotiates the investment of millions in early literacy and navigates through Child Care Counts funding, the Partnership will continue advocating for sustainable, high-impact solutions that center children, families, and equity.

We are grateful to every presenter, partner, and participant who made this convening possible—and to the communities across Wisconsin whose futures inspire this work.

To learn more about the Wisconsin Partnership, visit: https://www.buildingourfuturekc.org/wisconsin-partnership.html 

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