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)
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!
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.
The 2020 Census Part 5: Parent and Kid Resources
As a child care provider, you can play an important role in the Census. You are a trusted voice to the families you work with. By supplying information about the Census, you can help your community understand how important and necessary it is.
The 2020 Census: Part 4 Why Children are Undercounted
Experts are already predicting that children younger than 5 will be significantly undercounted, by more than 2 million kids in some estimates. It’s important to count young children accurately now so they have the resources they need for years to come. For every child not counted, our state loses $2000 a year for 10 years. That’s $20,000 per child. Just imagine the profound impact that could make.
The 2020 Cenus: Part 3 FAQs and Myths
Because the census only happens every 10 years, there is often misinformation and outright wrong information given out...
In Solidarity with Early Care and Education Programs Across the Nation
By Paula Drew, We Care for Dane Kids and WEESSN- Dane Co. Project Manager What has become abundantly clear to the nation...
Free access to online early childhood resource platform (WISER) in response to COVID-19 to all WI Regulated Child Care Programs.
Wisconsin Shared Education Resources (WISER) is a comprehensive, resource rich platform for Wisconsin child care providers,...
The 2020 Census: Part 2 Census Basics
by Amy Schuster, Director of REWARD Stipend Program Between March 12 and 20, about 143 million households in the country...
