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.
WEESSN anuncia nuevas guías de impuestos para negocios de cuidado infantil
Por: Gary Romano, Civitas Strategies, LLC Encontrar una preparación de impuestos asequible y efectiva ha sido durante...
WEESSN Announces New Tax Guides for Child Care Businesses
Finding affordable, effective tax preparation has long been a challenge for child care providers. As a result, they often pay more in taxes than they should. To address this issue, Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services (WEESSN), a program of Wisconsin Childhood Association (WECA), is partnering with Civitas Strategies Early Start (CSES) to create a revolutionary new set of tax guides specifically for child care businesses.
‘Best I have ever attended’: WECA Conference educates, inspires
The annual event provided learning opportunities dedicated to enhancing the professional development and growth of Wisconsin’s early childhood workforce through four keynote presentations, 25 live workshops, and 23 on-demand sessions. Topics covered growth and retention of professionals, health and resilience, racial justice, cultural responsivity, leadership, communication strategies, and brain development, among many other timely and relevant topics for the early childhood community.
Child Care: A Public Good Impacting Wisconsinites’ Lives and Livelihood
Wisconsin’s child care system is broken. Residents from all corners of the state experience the challenges of this ailing infrastructure, which was fragile before the pandemic and has worsened significantly since. In light of this reality, Wisconsin Early Childhood Association offers some widely accepted truths.
‘Pride in my profession’: Wisconsin early childhood educator wins national award
Jill Stalker loved to “play school” in the basement when her mom, an educator, brought home extra supplies and books. In...
WEESSN in the National Spotlight
When Kelly Matthews first attended the National Shared Services Technical Conference in 2017, it was purely an information-gathering opportunity.
In 2022, Kelly and seven other Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) staff members attended to present Wisconsin as a model for innovation, collaboration and growth.
What a difference five years makes.