Milwaukee Raises its Voice for ECE

In honor of Week of the Young Child 2023, educators, families and advocates from across Milwaukee raised their voices in support of early childhood education (ECE). The collection of personal stories showcased the many benefits of high-quality ECE for children, families and employers, but it also highlighted the ongoing challenges plaguing the industry, from low pay and staffing shortages to high costs of care and limited access for families.

The common denominator across all of these stories, however, was the need for continued investment in the industry – and a call to support the inclusion of ECE in the upcoming state budget.

The Importance of ECE

Two of the signs held during the kickoff parade for Week of the Young Child on April 3.

“As a mother, I know 100% that early childhood education is the perfect start for my child for a bright future,” said ECE Ambassador Arati Hernandez. “I can already see her love of learning and her curiosity just blossoming. And I want those concepts to stay with her beyond kindergarten.”

Participation in high-quality ECE sets children up for success, not only as they enter kindergarten, but even through high school and beyond. Research shows that access to ECE helps reduce special education placement and grade retention, while increasing the rate of high school graduation. It also sets children up for a bright future beyond school.

“ECE matters to me as a mother and educator,” said another Ambassador, “because I know that a quality education is linked to a greater success in life, improves social skills, and can offer screenings for health and behavioral issues.”

Access to reliable ECE also has a profound impact on the workforce, as well as the state’s economy as a whole. According to the Nobel Laureate James Heckman, for every dollar spend on high-quality birth-to-5 programs, there is a 13% annual return on investment.

“[ECE] allows the primary caregiver or caregivers the ability to participate in the workforce and provide for their family,” said ECE Ambassador Vanessa Giraldez.

Patrick Landry, president at Notre Dame School of Milwaukee, has witnessed the incredible impacts of ECE firsthand with the recent addition of their 3-year-old kindergarten program.

“It’s been going so well, and the parents love it,” he said. “But the financial difficulties of sustaining the program are real.”

Challenges for Programs

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson reads a proclamation on April 3 officially declaring it Week of the Young Child.

Currently, over half of Milwaukee’s ECE programs are reporting staffing shortages, with much of the difficulty stemming from one simple fact: Programs can only afford to pay educators an average of $13/hour.

“I was forced out of my early childhood education career because the wages were just unlivable,” explained Briana Stanford, a former teacher and current ECE Ambassador.

Fellow Ambassador Leatanya Dunn faced a similar challenge. “I started off as an assistant teacher making minimum wage and worked there for five years,” she explained. “When I left that child care, I was making $8.50 as a lead teacher and an assistant director.”

This low pay and lack of benefits and the ensuing difficulties with recruitment and retention are forcing programs to serve fewer children, cut their hours and grow their waitlists.

“Over the past few years,” explained Tamara Johnson, director of Malaika Early Learning Center, “we have struggled quite a bit with keeping highly qualified staff in our classrooms, even having to shut down a few classrooms.”

The financial strain these programs are facing is also causing some to consider closing altogether. For Rilla Williams, owner and director of Pristine Child Care Center, having to close her program is a constant threat.

“I can say that it's been within the last few years that I’ve found it very difficult to keep my doors open,” she said. “And I don't know how long I can continue to keep them open.”

Challenges for Families

As many families know, child care in Milwaukee can be extraordinarily expensive, with the cost for one infant averaging $16,236/year. That’s 26% of the mean household income. This high price tag is forcing families to make difficult decisions.

“It was many times I felt that I had to bring my daughter to work with me because I couldn’t afford to pay for child care for her,” said Leatanya.

According to research by the UW-Extension, 42% of Wisconsin moms report cutting back on hours or quitting a job because of child care. Ambassador Vanessa, a social worker, had to make the decision to scale back to part-time, and Arati, a teacher, was forced to leave her school.

On top of this, the closure of classrooms has led to increased waitlists, making access to high-quality care a prime concern.

“In our community, it's difficult to find a quality and affordable center that does not already have a waitlist that is months out,” shared another Ambassador. “As a working mother, what are my options? Like many families in Milwaukee and across the state, as a family, we struggle with that question daily.”

Raise Your Voice

Attendees grab buttons during the Week of the Young Child kickoff parade.

The Milwaukee Succeeds-led ECE Coalition and Raising Wisconsin have heard these calls for help and, by utilizing data from across the state, have formulated an ask for the 2023-25 state budget: $300 million to fund the continuation of Child Care Counts once federal relief funds run out in January 2024.

To date, over 1,500 Milwaukee providers have benefited from this program, receiving more than $96 million to stay open, recruit and retain staff, reduce costs for families and provide quality care for children. A survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) found that 28% of respondents would have closed permanently without this support.

If this funding disappears, the burden will fall on programs and families. According to NAEYC, 42% of centers will have to raise rates for families, 30% will have to cut wages for staff and the number of high-quality, affordable slots in the city will most certainly suffer.

Our Ambassadors, educators and advocates have raised their voice in support of ECE – and you can too. Whether you’re a family member or educator, please consider sending a letter to your legislators letting them know how critical ECE is and what an investment in quality care would mean to you.