Report on Wisconsin’s Child Care Sector Crisis and its Implications for Sustainable Development

Executive Summary

Community leaders and advocacy groups in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, are raising significant concerns regarding a lack of state support for the child care sector. A recent rally organized by “Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed” (WECAN) highlighted the adverse effects of the current biennial budget on child care providers and working families. The crisis directly undermines progress toward several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), threatening economic stability, gender equality, and educational equity.

Impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The challenges facing Wisconsin’s child care system have direct and severe consequences for the achievement of multiple SDGs:

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: A stable child care infrastructure is essential for a functioning economy. The closure of facilities prevents parents from participating in the workforce, creating labor shortages and hindering economic growth. The call for employer investment underscores the private sector’s role in this critical support system.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The burden of inadequate child care disproportionately falls on women, limiting their career opportunities and economic independence. Ensuring access to affordable child care is a fundamental step toward achieving gender equality in the workplace and society.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: Early childhood care is the first and most critical stage of lifelong learning. The impending closure of numerous centers threatens access to quality early education, potentially creating long-term developmental and educational disparities among children.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: As tuition rates increase and availability decreases, low-income families are most severely impacted. This widens the inequality gap, limiting access to essential services and opportunities for both parents and children, and hindering efforts to alleviate poverty (SDG 1).

Current Status and Key Concerns

Advocates at a rally in Phoenix Park voiced strong opposition to the level of support allocated in the state budget. The situation is reaching a critical point, with tangible consequences for communities across Wisconsin.

1. Projected Facility Closures: According to child care provider Julia Bennker, an estimated 25% of child care centers across Wisconsin are at risk of closing, with the figure at 20% for Eau Claire County specifically.
2. Rising Costs for Families: Providers are being forced to increase tuition fees to remain operational. Many families are facing these cost hikes without understanding the underlying financial pressures on the centers.
3. Inadequate State Funding: WECAN and its supporters contend that the recently signed biennial budget fails to provide the necessary funding to stabilize the child care sector.

Legislative Action and Proposed Solutions

In response to the crisis, advocates are focusing on legislative remedies and collaborative strategies. Key initiatives include:

• Pending Legislation: A set of bills is currently under committee review in Madison, which proposes an injection of $480 million to support and sustain child care services throughout Wisconsin.
• Employer Investment: Rally participants called for increased corporate responsibility, urging employers to invest in child care solutions for their employees as a vital component of workforce support and retention.

1. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article’s central theme is the crisis in child care, which is a fundamental component of early childhood development and education. The potential closure of centers directly impacts the availability and quality of early learning opportunities for children.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article explicitly connects the availability of child care to the ability of parents to work. The “lack of support for child care” is presented as a barrier to employment for “working parents,” thus affecting labor force participation and economic stability.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  While not explicitly stated, the burden of child care disproportionately falls on women, and a lack of accessible and affordable child care is a significant barrier to women’s full and equal participation in the workforce. Supporting child care is a key policy for advancing gender equality.

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article mentions that “tuition is going up,” which increases the financial strain on families. High child care costs can be a major expense that pushes families, particularly low-income ones, closer to or into poverty.

2. Specific SDG Targets

SDG 4: Quality Education

1. Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

   The article directly addresses this target by highlighting the threat to access. The statement that “25% of centers in Wisconsin will close” and the general “lack of support for child care” demonstrate a direct challenge to ensuring children have access to these essential services.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

1. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.

   This target is relevant because the article underscores that without child care, there will be no support “for working parents.” The availability of child care is a prerequisite for many parents to achieve “full and productive employment.” The call for “employer investment in child care for workers” also aligns with creating a supportive environment for decent work.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

1. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies…

   The rally and call for legislators to “do more” and pass bills providing “$480 million” for child care are direct appeals for the “provision of public services” and “social protection policies” that this target advocates for. These policies help formalize and support care work, which is often unpaid and disproportionately handled by women.

SDG 1: No Poverty

1. Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all… and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.

   The article’s discussion of rising tuition and the need for state funding relates to this target. Subsidized or publicly supported child care is a form of social protection that makes essential services affordable, preventing families from falling into poverty due to high costs.

3. Implied Indicators for Measurement

Indicators for Target 4.2

• Indicator 4.2.2: Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex.

  The article implies a negative impact on this indicator. The statistic that “25% of centers in Wisconsin will close” directly threatens the participation rate, as fewer available spots will mean fewer children can attend organized learning programs.

Indicators for Target 8.5

• Indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities.

  The article implies that this indicator could worsen. The concern that “without help there will not be child care for working parents” suggests that parents may be forced to leave their jobs, which would increase the unemployment rate, particularly among women who are often primary caregivers.

Indicators for Target 5.4

• Indicator 5.4.1: Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location.

  The closure of child care centers would force parents to take on more direct care responsibilities, increasing their time spent on unpaid care work. This indicator would measure that shift, which is what the activists in the article are trying to prevent through calls for public funding.

Indicators for Target 1.3

• Indicator 1.3.1: Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems…

  The article points to a gap in this coverage. The call for legislation with “$480 million” to “help child care in Wisconsin” is an attempt to increase the number of families and providers covered by a social protection system for child care, thereby improving this indicator.

4. Summary Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: weau.com