‘Silence is not an option’: The Continued Importance of Advocacy

by Kayla Gardner | Apr 27, 2022 | Advocacy, Best Practices, Workforce

Advocacy has always been a part of who I am, even when I was too young to even know what the word “advocacy” meant. Earlier this year, I got to take my passion for early childhood advocacy to a big stage – the offices of Wisconsin’s elected officials – during the...

State’s investments in child care are essential, timely

by Ruth Schmidt | Feb 16, 2022 | Advocacy, Best Practices, Policy, Press Release, Workforce

by Ruth Schmidt  High-quality, affordable and accessible child care is critical. Wisconsin parents know it, business and community leaders know it and child care professionals know it.  With the state legislature’s Joint Finance Committee recent unanimous approval of...

The State of Wisconsin’s Early Care and Education Workforce

by Ruth Schmidt | Dec 1, 2021 | Advocacy, Best Practices, Policy, Workforce

WECA announces the release of its recommendations brief, “The State of Wisconsin’s Early Care and Education Workforce,” in response to key findings of the Series of Studies of the Wisconsin Early Education Workforce, published today by the Department of Children and...

American Families Plan: Child Care & Pre-School Expansion Under Consideration by Congress

by Grace Reef | May 17, 2021 | Advocacy, Best Practices, Policy, Workforce

by: Grace Reef, Senior Outreach Consultant at Committee for Economic Development (CED) The good news is that the President and Congress are talking about large investments in child care and preschool. Families have long struggled with the cost of child care....

WEESSN + Parenting Place + Local Farmers = new Farm to ECE purchasing pilot for child care providers

by Jennifer Hilgendorf | Mar 11, 2021 | Best Practices, Food Program, WEESSN

by JoAnn Hayden, Food Program Area Coordinator, WEESSN Program Coach, and Amanda Bee, Farm to Early Care and Education Coordinator, The Parenting Place. It has been a long-standing dream for Farm to Early Care and Education to explore ways for child care providers to...

The Power of Black Storytelling in Preschool Environments

by Dr. Toshiba Adams | Feb 18, 2021 | Best Practices, Spotlight, Training

As we approached Black History Month, I took a moment to reflect on my early schooling experiences.  As a Black child who attended predominantly White k-12 schools, I am unable to recall any school-wide celebrations of Black history. What I do recall is being taught...