Community Collaborations
Are you interested in bringing WEESSN to your community?
High-quality child care is the backbone of a thriving community, and the evidence is clear that investing in children’s care and education makes a difference.
WECA has worked with many communities across the state to develop Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) in support of child care programs. WEESSN’s valuable suite of services has sparked increasing interest in how it can bring expertise, resources, and collaboration to meet the needs of providers, families, and communities.
If you are interested in learning more about or joining this movement to stabilize the system of child care in Wisconsin, and specifically in your community, please contact WEESSN Director Chanel Clark.
What sets WEESSN apart?
WEESSN is focused on supporting Wisconsin’s child care providers and, by extension, the broader community of parents, employers, and communities. It is a leader in the national movement to offer shared services to early care and education (ECE) programs. WEESSN is:
Relationship-Based, Start to Finish
WEESSN invests in ongoing conversations with community partners who are working to strengthen and support child care programs in their region. We know each community has unique child care challenges. By listening carefully, we can identify ways to customize service delivery.
A Trust-Builder
WEESSN staff understand we all want the child care crisis solved now, yet there is a tangle of intersecting forces that have brought us where we are today. WEESSN builds trust with community members and child care programs by showing up and investing in the work. Our staff have deep, lived experience in the child care field as both center-based and family child care program leaders, and therefore understand the challenges the field is navigating.
Collaborative
WEESSN staff have scaled WEESSN programming a half dozen times and counting, so we know the steps that have made this successful. WEESSN helps guide feasibility and implementation plans and is responsive to the unique needs of each community in the process. This involves investigating local context, engaging partners with funding requirements and opportunities, and working directly with child care programs to explore and gauge feasibility. WEESSN prioritizes communities that have committed to securing additional funding for expansion into their region.
WEESSN Current Collaborations
WEESSN was inspired by conversations with community stakeholders to address the issues that plague the child care sector. This work is made possible by the generous support of our partners, funders, and collaborators alike – all of whom are at the heart of this network. Our local, regional, and national partners understand that valuing and supporting child care impacts everyone in the community, promotes economic development, and improves health outcomes.
We thank everyone who has partnered with us, made investments, and shared resources. WEESSN began and continues to be fueled by the work of local partners who had faith in us from the beginning, including chambers of commerce, community development organizations, large and small employers, educational institutions, foundations, legislators, and government departments.
We gratefully acknowledge the following entities who provided funding at the level of $100,000 or more:
WEESSN Collaborators
National Partners
A critical group of national supporters have been supporting WEESSN and providing consultation and/or financial contributions to help scale and build sustainability of the network, including:
CCA for Social Good
CCA for Social Good granted WECA the state license for the virtual shared services platform, Wisconsin Shared Early Education Resources (WISER), which offers 2,600+ nationally vetted resources – many of which are downloadable and customizable – and discounts on services and supplies to member early care and education (ECE) programs. Every WEESSN member program receives full access to these resources and monthly newsletters highlighting new content.
Opportunities Exchange
Opportunities Exchange is a national shared services clearinghouse that offers technical assistance from Louise Stoney, a preeminent expert on shared services, to WEESSN staff.
The Wisconsin Infant Toddler Policy Project
The Wisconsin Infant Toddler Policy Project includes policies and budget priorities to expand shared services as a mechanism for growing the capacity of high-quality infant and toddler ECE.
Children's Funding Project
Children’s Funding Project works on two levels in Wisconsin, looking at state and local level revenue options using the Funding Our Futures framework.
Schmidt Futures’ Alliance for the American Dream
Need more information? Contact a WEESSN Tiered Membership Specialist, or call 608-721-6936.