Events
Our events are informative, engaging and provide valuable information and engagement opportunities on topics and trends in early care and education. Bookmark this page for easy access to information about our upcoming events.
Want to connect in person at early childhood conferences and other special events? Check out the list below for where WECA will be available this spring!
Monthly Parent-Provider Advocacy Activities
Through monthly parent-provider activities, we’re building a unified voice to show Wisconsin’s leaders the vital role child care plays in everyday lives. Each activity is a hands-on way for families, early educators, and advocates to share their stories, values, and hopes, sending a clear message that the time to support child care with a significant state investment is NOW.
Early educators, download this resource that includes monthly themes to engage parents and families in advocacy storytelling – each has a monthly social media hashtag, so take photos of your submitted pieces, post on social media, and tag WECA and Raising Wisconsin.
Letter Campaign: Tell Congress to Prioritize Early Educators, Children, and Families
Use this letter-writing portal to tell your federal legislators to prioritize support for early educators, young children, and families in budget negotiations. A significant amount of federal funding ensures countless programs and services offered by organizations and agencies across Wisconsin can provide essential supports for early childhood educators, the child care sector, and family financial stability.
Virtual Engagement Forums
These virtual English-language sessions are tailored for early educators working directly with young children to provide a welcoming space for open discussion and conversation about concerns, challenges, questions, and more surrounding advocacy. The events also allow for open dialogue so providers can be resources for each other, as well as welcoming guest speakers to expand the conversation around advocating for early childhood.
Parent Champion Forums
Join us for our upcoming virtual Parent Champion Forums where families will discover a supportive network where their dedication as parents is recognized and voices are amplified. We’re here to make sure attendees feel empowered through effective advocacy. Offered in English.
Connect with WECA: Conferences and Special Events
Want to connect in person at early childhood conferences and other special events? Check out the list below for where WECA will be available this spring!
Super Saturday | Rescheduled: Date Coming Soon
Super Saturday | Rescheduled: Date Coming Soon
Learn more about WEESSN Plus Coaching and WECA Pre-Licensing! Please share this event with friends and colleagues – we’re looking forward to seeing you in person. Door prizes will be available for attendees! Offered in English.
Past Events
Community Child Care Conversations
We welcome you to attend child care conversations that are being held across Wisconsin this spring! The events will bring together child care professionals, employers, and parents with state elected officials and community leaders to learn more about the child care landscape, share experiences, and discuss ongoing challenges. All events are free, open to the public, and are nonpartisan and informational. Mark your calendars for one of the following days to share your experiences – and please invite community members and people in your networks to join you!
A Day Without Child Care | May 12
Provider Appreciation Day
Please share your story so we can lift it up on social media and highlight the dedication of professionals, like you, from all across Wisconsin.
Worthy Wage Day
We celebrated Worthy Wage Day on May 1 with a special webinar event focused on the history and progress of the Worthy Wage movement in early care and education. Speaker Peggy Haack shared historical context, experiences, and expertise as an advocate, activist, and historian of the child care workforce. Peggy retired as an early educator with 22 years of experience in family child care after 14 years in center-based care. She also worked for WECA, is a consultant for the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, and most proudly served as an active member of the local Dane County Worthy Wage campaign and related efforts on a national scale.
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
2025 Child Care Advocacy Day
Week of the Young Child
April 5-11, 2025
WECA is planning several events, activities, and opportunities for early educators, children, and families to celebrate Week of the Young Child® together April 5-11! Our partnership with PBS Wisconsin offers a variety of resources and opportunities to make the week meaningful and informative.
Week of the Young Child®, first established in 1971, is an annual celebration sponsored by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world’s largest association of early childhood professionals. The week focuses public attention on the needs of young children, their families, and the early childhood educators and programs that meet those important needs.
MUSIC MONDAY (APRIL 7)
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Design a Musical Instrument (link: Elinor Wonders Why: Design a Musical Instrument)
Feel the Music Digital Game (link: Daniel Tiger’s Feel the Music Digital Game)
All About Bomba (link: Learn All About Bomba)
TASTY TUESDAY (APRIL 8)
Healthy Snack Challenge
Join WECA’s Farm to ECE Committee from Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) for an exciting event focused on creativity in the kitchen! The Healthy Snack Challenge virtual experience will provide a list of healthy snack ingredients for you to whip up a delicious healthy snack and bring it to the session. Door prizes will be available!
12-1 p.m. | Zoom
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Fry Bread Book and Activity (link: Let’s Share a Story: Fry Bread)
Dumpling Making (link: Making Dumplings)
Helping Children Try New Foods (link: Helping Kids Try New Foods)
WORK TOGETHER WEDNESDAY (APRIL 9)
Working together is what advocacy for early care and education and healthy child development is all about! Check out a series of virtual events that will bring valuable skills and insights to participants.
Advocacy Prep for Action
Join WECA’s Center for Policy, Research and Engagement for an advocacy training to dust off your advocacy skills just in time for Child Care Advocacy Day at the Capitol the following week. Whether you’re new to advocacy or looking to deepen your impact, the training will provide valuable tools to help you make a difference. The session will cover Advocacy 101 and 102 content, including an advocacy overview and a focus on crafting your story and reaching out to elected officials.
1 p.m. | Zoom
Virtual Child Care Forum
This month’s session welcomes guest speaker Jeff Pertl, secretary of Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Before being named to his current position, Secretary Pertl served as deputy secretary, which followed years as a policy advisor Department of Public Instruction where he worked collaboratively on early childhood-related issues. He also has experience in local government and as a board member of Wisconsin Counties Association. This and other forums in the series serve as a platform for engaging professionals who are directly involved in caring for children.
6 p.m. | Zoom
Work Together Wednesday with PBS
Join PBS Wisconsin Education’s Early Learning Team for a 30-minute Work It Out Wednesday Webinar! Earn 1 free Wisconsin Registry credit for participating. Five attendees will be selected at the end of the event for a PBS Wisconsin and PBS KIDS goodie giveaway! The event will provide:
- Cool ideas and bilingual activities you can use tomorrow to support collaboration and teamwork with your students, staff, and families
- Family engagement fun to share with your early learning communities for Family Friday
- FREE self-paced learning courses and webinars that earn Wisconsin Registry credit
7 p.m. | Zoom
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Work It Out Wombats (link: Breaking it Down)
Sesame Workshop Digital Game (link: Making it Work)
Helping Children Navigate Social Situations (link: Helping Your Child Navigate Social Situations with Confidence and Kindness)
ARTSY THURSDAY (APRIL 10)
Art from the Heart Virtual Gallery
We’re highlighting the creativity of young children in early childhood programs across Wisconsin with our virtual art gallery display! This year’s exhibit will elevate the importance of process art, which is an open-ended, creative experience that focuses on exploration and self-expression rather than a predetermined outcome or final product.
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Learning to Draw (link: Learning to Draw with Scribbles and Ink)
Backyard Nature Art (link: Dino Train: Nature in our Backyard Art)
Sensory Friendly Crafts (link: Sensory Friendly Crafts)
FAMILY FRIDAY (APRIL 11)
It’s a day celebrating parents and families through virtual and in-person opportunities!
Parent Champion Forum
The forum provides a space for virtual discussion and a place for parents to connect, share their experiences, and discuss ways to strengthen early childhood advocacy efforts. Families, child care providers, and community members are all welcome to join the conversation!
12 p.m. | Zoom
“Make a Circle” Documentary Screening – A Celebration, A Conversation, A Call to Action
Join local early educator leaders for the FREE screening of this important documentary followed by discussion and the opportunity to network and collaborate with other early educators. Wisconsin Registry credit is available for this event.
6-8 p.m.
Hyland Hall, UW-Whitewater Campus
809 W Starin Rd, Whitewater
Check out these resources for the day from PBS Wisconsin!
Family Bingo (link: Family Favorites)
STEM Activity Cards (link: Activity Cards)
Family Traditions (link: Family Traditions)
