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
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 and LifeWays Early Childhood Center 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.
Child Care Sector Relief in Pandemic Bill
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.
Bucking the Child Care Closure Trend: WEESSN Expansion Helps Wisconsin Child Care Programs
According to the National Association of the Education of Young Children, an estimated 40% of child care programs around...
Gratitude
Thank you Governor Evers and the Wisconsin State Legislature for the investment of federal CARES Act funding into...
Local Group’s Efforts Selected for Wisconsin Top Rural Development Initiative Honors
The Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN), launched in Vernon and Monroe Counties, has been selected to receive the 2020 Wisconsin Top Rural Development Initiative award, one of two awards presented in 2020 by the Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc. The presentation was made at a private ceremony following the cancellation of the Wisconsin Rural Summit due to COVID-19.
Unless…
This last piece has not come easy and has taken MANY rewrites. I have felt unsure how to close out something that is far from being over. At one point, I was holding out hope that by mid-August, we would be celebrating the $50B relief package this industry needs. But to be honest, it still feels far from that time and I am feeling demoralized. While Americans across the political spectrum agree that the federal government should fund early care and education to a larger extent, congress has not been successful in getting this done.
The Un System of Early Care and Education
by Paula Drew, WEESSN Co-Director I often struggle with how to present the injustices within the early care and...