Impact & Influence

WECA centers innovation in all its work to support the early childhood workforce and early care and education in Wisconsin. Check out this page for more information on WECA’s innovation and influence through several impact updates, our blog, Annual Reports, news coverage, and more.

WECA In The Spotlight

Survey: Only half of Wisconsin’s child care slots are affordable for Families (Wisconsin Public Radio)

Families are ‘drowning’ as early child care programs face widespread staffing shortages (Wisconsin Public Radio)

Jackson County sees success with efforts to combat child care crisis (Wisconsin Rapids Tribune)

Funding child care like K-12 education is 1 long-term option as Wis. looks for solutions to challenges (WSAW-TV)

Advocacy group shines spotlight on child care need, potential solutions (Wisconsin Examiner)

Early Childhood Education News

The death of a day care: When a child care center closes, an entire community is affected (The 19th News)

Child care industry struggles with shortage of workers (ABC News)

Why You Can’t Find Child Care: 100,000 Workers Are Missing (The New York Times)

Rural communities need federal child care investments (Center for American Progress)

WHAT IS WECA?

WECA is a state nonprofit with significant local reach that supports early care and education in Wisconsin. Watch this video to get perspective from providers, partners, advocates, and WECA staff.

Read the Annual Report!

English Version

Spanish Version

For more information about WECA’s research and data findings – visit this page.

Good Food at Home Partnership

WECA’s food systems staff collaborated with Partnership for a Healthier America to help bring fresh fruits and vegetables to 200 Milwaukee families this past winter. The initiative provided $60 a month in Instacart credits for fresh produce.

“Providing access to these fresh foods can help improve outcomes for children for a lifetime,” shared WECA food systems co-coordinator Catherine Hansen.

Learn more about the project in this video overview (offered in English) and read our recent blog for more on WECA’s commitment to assisting early childhood programs foster positive food environments to help children and families thrive.

Wisconsin Early Childhood Association Blog

A hub of first-hand perspectives, calls to action, program and initiative information and other timely updates.

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Embedding Social Justice in Teaching Practice and Staff Development

by Tanya Johnson | Feb 15, 2021

More than half of the 74 million children in the United States are children of color, and they are served by learning systems that are gravely inequitable (Haywoode, 2020). Because of this inequity, social justice must be embedded in the field of early care and education. Nationally, Head Start programs were one way to address social justice. Head Start was designed to disrupt the cycle of poverty that is transferred from one generation to the next across the nation and to promote social justice in those areas where educational opportunity was denied. Since the inception of Head Start, the field of early childhood has expanded to many options such as family child care, group child care, school districts early childhood programs so how do we ensure all programs are centered around social justice.

Remember Your “Why” Tammy Dannhoff’s T.E.A.C.H. Journey

by Jen Dittrich | Feb 3, 2021

We often hear the challenges of adult learning. The constant balancing act required to work full time, attend school, and care for a family all at once. These challenges, a once in a lifetime pandemic, and widespread calls for social justice have burdened our recipients and sponsors. And yet, through it all, our scholars are persevering and finding success.

This year, we plan to kick off a blog series where we share stories from early care and education professionals, we serve through various WECA programs. This month, we’re pleased to highlight Tammy Dannhoff, who as a T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® WISCONSIN scholarship recipient, is sharing her journey.

Early Child Care Educators and the COVID-19 Vaccine: The Wisconsin Process

by Chanel Clark | Jan 8, 2021

We have heard many of you expressing your concern about the COVID-19 vaccine in our state. We know that this process will take time, but we want to make sure to share the facts we have currently on this issue.

In December of 2020, Wisconsin started to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, it is making its way into the arms of those in Tier 1A as defined by the Wisconsin State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC). Tier 1A is our state’s medical professionals in high-risk categories of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus and those in long term care facilities; think nursing homes. As of January 7, 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) website shows that 420,200 vaccines have been allocated to our state. Of those, 266,675 have been shipped, and 110,207 vaccines have already been administered.

Child Care Sector Relief in Pandemic Bill

by Paula Drew | Dec 30, 2020

The child care sector has been named in every pandemic relief bill proposed to congress since the spring. The importance of this work has never been more clear. And while we must keep advocating for the long-term Child Care is Essential Act, we celebrate the news that help is coming. The House and Senate have passed a new $892 billion COVID Relief Package and the President signed the bill this past Sunday. While in its entirety, the bill is 5,593 pages long and will take time to fully understand, there are some highlights that will directly benefit early care and education professionals in Wisconsin. What’s more, the bill not only calls for pandemic relief, it also increases spending on federal programs impacting our field for 2021.