StriveTogether Article Praises Civic Infrastructure at Milwaukee Succeeds
Grisby’s Child Development Center in the Sherman Park, by Jim Moy.
In June, Milwaukee Succeeds’ national network partner StriveTogether published an article examining Wisconsin’s economic recovery and civic infrastructure. The piece focused on the Wisconsin Partnership - comprised of Milwaukee Succeeds along with Cradle to Career Network members in Kenosha, Racine and Green Bay - and praised the organizations for their work in uniting community leaders during COVID to address immediate needs and create change in their communities.
“Milwaukee lost one-third of its child care providers almost overnight when the pandemic hit,” the article states. Yet thanks to Milwaukee Succeeds’ extensive list of partners, which spans numerous sectors and industries, we were able to collaborate to safely reopen centers, secure personal protective equipment, open new centers and more. These established connections within the community allowed us to move quickly and act decisively to support the struggling ECE industry.
“We knew the lay of the land,” said Dave Celata, deputy director of Milwaukee Succeeds. “We had the data capacity and the capacity for collective impact work, and we knew how to build a community agenda.”
This knowledge allowed the ECE Civic Response Team - now the ECE Coalition - to secure and inform funding in order to stabilize the sector, as well as helping them quickly distribute supplies, equipment and thousands of diapers to keep centers running.
“The economy can’t grow without child care. And now we have businesses and university partners talking about child care in ways they hadn’t before,” Celata said.
This evolving infrastructure will certainly help Milwaukee Succeeds continue making a difference in the ECE sector - and in the community as a whole.