ECE Staffing Shortage Leads to Fewer Spots, Longer Wait Lists

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 78% of early childhood education centers in Milwaukee reported experiencing staffing challenges. This decrease in staff has led to a decrease in the number of children many providers have been able to take in, contributing to the existing shortage of child care options in the city.

One of the main reasons for this lack of staff is pay. “In order to pay someone $18 an hour, I need to charge two and a half times what I charge now or more,” said Yimma Davila-Castro in an article on the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Davila-Castro runs Yimma’s Bright Beginnings Daycare, a small center in the Polonia neighborhood. “And the parents paying out of pocket are not rich. One paycheck already goes to child care and the other goes to bills.”

Milwaukee’s ECE Coalition, facilitated by Milwaukee Succeeds, is working to improve the pipeline for workers into the ECE workforce, particularly men of color. Their recent $7 million proposal to the Common Council regarding the city’s use of relief funds included stipends for ECE professionals, as well as investments into MATC’s dual enrollment program, MKE Rising and Leading Men Fellows. On October 21, this proposal was approved by the full council.

Read the full Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service article here.