DARLINGTON — More than two dozen Lafayette County leaders attended a childcare forum Aug. 5 at Darlington Elementary/Middle School (DEMS). The summit generated discussion on the lack of available childcare in the county, as well as ways to potentially move forward with answers. One of those potential answers was talked about at length, as Shullsburg schools superintendent Michael Raso walked the attendees through what his district has done to help families in the Shullsburg area.
“This kind of emphasizes the importance of childcare in Lafayette County,” said Allison Taylor, Economic Development and Tourism Director of Lafayette County.
The connection with available and affordable childcare and the local economy is straightforward — if a parent can’t find childcare, then they are unlikely to work, let alone work full-time. That in turn limits the available workforce and stunts economic growth in the community. Eventually, families move elsewhere, which affects school enrollments and state aid. In the end, businesses and communities struggle, employers can’t grow and districts downsize.
“If we can’t get workers, that becomes an issue for a county that is trying to grow. Ultimately, it is all connected. We can’t solve one problem without addressing the other,” said Blake Roberts Crall, Regional Community Economic Development Specialist for UW-Division of Extension.
According to 2026 data from the Dept. of Children and Families, Lafayette County has five licensed providers with a total capacity of 38 children. There are two licensed group programs with space for 65 children, and two other public school programs with a capacity of 88. Most providers operate at around 70-80% capacity, though numbers in the summertime are usually lower than during the school year. These numbers also do not take into account “Family/Friend/Neighbor Care” (FFN), which is unregulated.
Looking at total supply versus need, there are just 191 slots available in the county at licensed facilities, with about 880 children under age five in the county that have parents in the workforce, leaving about 78% children without a licensed option.
Of those nine licensed providers, four are located in Darlington, two in Benton, two in Argyle and one in Shullsburg.
The average cost for weekly tuition across the county ranges anywhere from $140 at the lowest to $210 at the highest, with the average cost of $175. According to the US Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), childcare is considered affordable if it is less than 7% of a household’s income. That means the average family with children receiving childcare in the county would need to earn about $130,000 per year (or about $2,500 per week) in order to meet the 7% threshold set by the HHS. However, the average household in Lafayette County makes approximately $76,500.
Why can’t providers just charge less?
According to the Center for the Study of Childcare Employment, about 60-65% of all childcare costs are non-negotiable and tied directly to labor. The state mandates staff ratios, the staff must be trained and licensed, and most providers live on wages near poverty level.
Additionally, facilities are strictly regulated, from square footage, to windows, separate exits, electrical outlets and bathroom ratios. Providers work long hours, as facilities are routinely open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or longer simply to meet the needs of area first shift workers. Many staffers routinely work 50 or more hours every week. According to 4C (Community Coordinated Child Care), which covers 11 counties in southern Wisconsin, Lafayette County has the lowest average wage in the area for childcare providers at just $15.50/hr.
Then there is the cost of materials and administration (about 23%), like replenishing the inventory of food, sanitary products and insurances, as well another 12% set aside for rent and/or utilities. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families says that at least half of childcare programs in Wisconsin lack health insurance benefits.
“Tuition is not affordable for families and providers still don’t break even. The gap is structural, not managerial,” Roberts Crall said.
The fear of not having affordable childcare isn’t just an issue for the here-and-now, but for the future. Data from 2021, obtained from UW-Madison COWS, IRP, WECA and the UW Survey Center showed that most providers in the state are 51 years old, and 80% were looking to retire within the next five years — i.e. 2026. The lack of a younger pipeline means that impending retirement waves hit rural counties like Lafayette exceptionally hard.
Lafayette County Survey
A localized Lafayette County survey from earlier this year showed that 49% of parents’ current childcare does not fully meet their work schedule and employment needs. Of those, 68% have to leave work early, 49% arrive late to work, 34% work off-hours (either at night or on weekends), while 65% have had to miss full days of work due to a provider or child being sick. Further, about 29% of workers miss meetings, training or company events, and 22% are unable to work overtime. Simply put, childcare challenges are directly impacting workforce participation.
“Finding a provider that is open in time for work has been a struggle. I also work 12-hour shifts, so finding a provider that would be okay with early mornings and able to provide for 12.5-13 hours is difficult,” responded one of the parents to the survey.
There are long-term employment impacts of childcare challenges, too. Families are facing significant barriers to affordable, quality childcare that affect their work schedules, directly impacting their ability to participate in the workforce.
Of the respondents
● 48% said they had to switch to a different job
● 48% had to reduce their work hours
● 34% turned down a promotion or a new job opportunity
● 14% had to quit their job
● and 7% lost their job.
“When my children were younger, it was extremely difficult to find childcare when moving here. Had I known it would be such an issue, I would have chosen differently,” another respondent said.
Childcare shortages are affecting business operations and growth. With 24 of the county’s largest businesses responding:
● 75% saw absenteeism and schedule changes
● 56% reduced operating hours
● 50% increased overtime and/or workload
● 31% had difficulty staffing shifts
● 19% delayed or limited expansion
● and 13% turned down opportunities
Employers said they are getting by mostly by having flexible schedules or making shift adjustments (85%), with 65% taking on a case-by-case flexibility. Another 55% responded to reducing hours or part-time options for their employees, while 15% allowed remote work or work-from-home options.
Zero Lafayette County businesses responded to giving financial assistance for childcare.
When asked what employee-supported childcare strategies businesses would consider offering:
● 60% said they would help connect the employees to available childcare
● 15% backup/emergency childcare
● 10% would give direct financial contribution
● 5% would offer employee childcare stipends
● None of the businesses were willing to offer space or land for a facility
● 25% responded “None of the above”
Shullsburg’s Miner Child Care Center
Raso spent about 40 minutes discussing how his district has attempted to mitigate the struggle. The wheels were all put in motion before he took over the role as superintendent, because, he said, the shortage had become a community issue — not just a family issue. The district recognized that if no one stepped in, the problem would only continue to grow.
Through its Fund 80 and finding space in the existing school, Shullsburg was able to create a childcare center that operates as more than just a babysitting daycare. While it does accept infants, the toddlers in the program quickly adapt to the daily routines. From there, the providers help the children get prepared more and more for the rigors of school, helping the children acclimate and be prepared for a seamless transition to 4K and Kindergarten.
Raso said there is currently a waiting list for infant openings, and that families regularly contact the center looking for infant care months before they need it. The demand continues to exceed available spaces.
The center is run practically year round, including during fall, winter and spring breaks, unlike the regular school routine.
Raso said many successful programs were looked at to see what works, including Southwestern Child Care Center in Hazel Green. School officials visited the center to observe operations firsthand and learn about daily procedures, staffing, classroom organization and program management. Shullsburg’s director of the childcare center, Sheena Long, brought extensive early childhood education experience to the project. She had previously served as an evaluator of childcare centers in Illinois. She leveraged her professional network to gather resources, ask questions and learn from other successful childcare programs.
“We didn’t reinvent the wheel — we built on proven practices while tailoring the program to meet the unique needs of Shullsburg,” Raso said.
Shullsburg’s school-run center isn’t licensed because it is operated within an accredited public school. However, Raso said the Miner Child Care Center still uses Wisconsin licensing standards as a guide for staffing, safety, programming and daily operations whenever practical.
“Our goal is to provide families with the same level of quality they would expect from a licensed center while operating within the framework available to public schools,” Raso said.
He also reiterated that the district was responding to the shortage of childcare — and not creating competition. Prior to the district opening its center, three local providers had closed, and the remaining capacity was insufficient to meet community demand.
“Today, the center helps fill an essential community need. We continue to believe there is room for additional quality childcare providers if they choose to operate in our area. We see ourselves as a part of the community’s childcare solution rather than the only solution,” Raso said.
He said the district has received strong community support for the childcare center, families value the service, the center is seen as an important community asset and has already demonstrated long-term value.
The program has helped attract and retain young families, has supported enrollment stability, has likely increased future student enrollment, has made the community more attractive to employers and supports staff recruitment.
Raso said about 45 children are enrolled during the summer months, but about 60 children are served during the school year. There is an infant room that looks after babies ages 6 weeks to 12 months, a toddler room for children ages 1-2 years, and a preschool room for children 2-4 years old. The center also has a school-age program for before and after school care, with about 20 students participating during the school year, and 12 enrolled this summer.
The center staffs five full-team employees, including director Laura Reuter, four part-time staffers and three high school employees. Those high school employees work year-round with increased hours in the summer and assist in the school-age program. The older students provide coverage when regular staff are absent, and work after school and on non-school days during the school year.
The center is operated by the Shullsburg School District, which means it is part of the district’s food service program and is supported by district maintenance, business office, technology and administrative services. It is funded from parent tuition and through Fund 80 (Community Service Fund). The center does not receive state funding nor is eligible to receive childcare subsidies because it is not a state-licensed childcare center.
Raso told the forum attendees, which had school board members or administration from each of the other four county school districts, that if they want to follow the same plan, they should do their own homework and visit other districts, as well as build community partnerships, have realistic financial expectations, expect staffing challenges, understand licensing requirements and think long-term, not just year-to-year.
“Remember your ‘why — why are you doing this?’” he said.
Belmont lost its only daycare center last year, said Beau Buchs, superintendent of Belmont schools. “We have limited options,” Buchs said, adding that it has been explored by the district about adding a service similar to Shullsburg, but there is not ample space, and building new space is not feasible at this time.
Darlington district administrator Cale Jackson, Director of Special Education for Darlington Kelly Rose and school board president Bob Hermanson all mentioned how the district was interested in and exploring how to get involved with childcare in some fashion, be it through an after school program or otherwise.
One question that came up at the end of the forum was wondering if the state had any answers or ideas. Neither District 17 Senator Howard Marklein, District 51 Assemblyman Todd Novak, nor any of their candidates were in attendance. Childcare and school funding has been one of the many key talking points this summer leading up to the primary election that took place on Tuesday, Aug. 11 (results are not yet in). Further in-depth debate on the topics is expected heading into the November general election.