MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), announced on June 19 that a new WisconSays Survey found that 90% of Wisconsinites, including those without kids, say finding affordable, high-quality child care in Wisconsin is a problem, and over three-quarters of Wisconsinites support an increase in state funding to fix it. Meanwhile, for families currently using child care, the survey found approximately half reported missing work or school due to lack of child care and a shocking over 12% reported leaving the workforce entirely.  

“This new survey underscores what we’ve already known: child care is too darn expensive, it’s too hard to find, and whether you have kids or not, the lack of access to quality, affordable care is affecting our workforce and employers, our economy, and our communities statewide,” said Gov. Evers. “

The survey, conducted by the University of Wisconsin (UW) Survey Center in partnership with the Institute for Research on Poverty, also found that about one-third of folks using child care reported having difficulty covering the cost of child care expenses. According to DCF, the average annual cost for full-time infant care is $16,175 in center-based programs and $11,479 in family-based programs, equaling 21% and 15%, respectively, of the median household income in Wisconsin. In total, Wisconsin families pay over $570 million for infants and toddlers under age three and over $1 billion for all preschool-aged children under age five. 

“Investing in child care is not just a social good; it’s a smart economic strategy that supports families, nurtures child development, and contributes to thriving communities,” said DCF Secretary Jeff Pertl.

According to a recent DCF survey conducted in partnership with UW-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty and announced by Gov. Evers in April, a quarter of providers across the state said they are likely to close their doors if the Wisconsin State Legislature fails to make critical investments to continue the successful Child Care Counts Program that is set to expire at the end of June. Additionally, if the program ends, costs for infant care are expected to go up, with three-quarters of providers expected to raise weekly tuition rates for care, increasing costs for working families that are already experiencing steep tuition and strained household budgets. Of the 78% of providers who reported they will raise tuition for infant care, 21% expect to raise weekly rates by at least $25, and 17% expect rates to rise by at least $50, adding a whopping $1,300 or $2,600 to families’ household budgets per year, respectively.

The governor’s 2025-27 Executive Budget would have included more than $500 million to make child care more affordable and accessible for working families and support child care providers statewide, including providing over $480 million to continue the successful Child Care Counts Program. Instead, Republican lawmakers on the state’s budget committee voted against Gov. Evers’ plan. This included gutting:

●  Over $480 million for the successful Child Care Counts Program, which has been a lifeline for local child care providers, ensuring they can pay their staff and keep their doors open and lights on without raising tuition rates; and

●  Efforts to support employer-sponsored child care initiatives to assist employers in addressing their workforce’s child care challenges.