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Building Momentum in Northeast Wisconsin to Improve Access to Childcare

Abstract: As part of the Chicago Fed’s Spotlight on Childcare and the Labor Market, I reached out to community contacts in Wisconsin to hear perspectives on childcare access within the state. I learned that there is an emerging ecosystem of cross-sector partners who are coming together to address childcare challenges in Northeast Wisconsin. These organizations report that coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, access to childcare in Northeast Wisconsin has become more difficult for working parents in terms of affordability and availability. The Greater Fox Valley Child Care Alliance, which is focused on regional coordination to improve childcare access, has identified low wages for childcare workers as one of the key factors leading to challenges in recruiting and retaining childcare workers, ultimately limiting childcare availability. The Greater Green Bay Chamber, which engages the greater Green Bay area’s business community, has reported that employers cite limited access to childcare as a direct barrier to hiring employees. These two organizations in Northeast Wisconsin are aligning their efforts to address the root causes that limit childcare access within the region.

Keywords: Childcare; Community development; Regional economy;

JEL Classification: J13; J30; O18;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Publication Date: 2024-03