Baldwin Brings Home Nearly $122 Million for Child Care in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Wisconsin will receive nearly $122 million for child care, an over $8 million increase above last year. As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees child care funding, Senator Baldwin wrote the annual funding bill that increased investments in child care and early education by $1 billion nationwide compared to the previous year, including for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Head Start.

“When I travel across Wisconsin, I hear from communities big and small about the impact of the child care crisis – as families struggle to afford care, businesses struggle to find workers, and providers struggle to pay their hardworking staff and keep their doors open,” said Senator Baldwin. “While there’s more work left to do, I’m proud to cut costs for working families, better ensure all kids are getting a strong start, and get more parents back to work. Investing in child care is not only an investment in our children’s future, it’s an investment in our Made in Wisconsin economy.”

Senator Baldwin, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, wrote legislation that helps confront the child care crisis that communities across the country are facing. Senator Baldwin’s bill provides $8.75 billion for the CCDBG which will help more families across the country find and afford the child care they need.

For Fiscal Year 2024, Wisconsin will receive $121.9 million through the CCDBG, an increase of $8 million compared to Fiscal Year 2023. The CCDBG is a grant given to the states and territories by the federal government. It is the primary source of federal funding for child care subsidies to assist working families and to provide funds to improve child care quality.

In Wisconsin, some families are now spending up to 36% of their income on child care. With childcare for two young children costing more than $25,000 per year in Wisconsin, this essential cost for families now outpaces annual tuition at UW-Madison. From 2010 to 2021, the number of child care workers statewide had fallen by 26%.

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