WI Cabinet Member Talks About Expanding Childcare Options With State Dollars

SUPERIOR, Wis. The city of Superior welcomed a Wisconsin state cabinet member to talk about paving the way for more affordable childcare.

The Department of Children and Families Secretary Emilie Amundson met with city leaders to talk about a recent grant Superior received from a program called “Project Growth.”

The conversation between the city and state is about what the needs are and who the best partners will be in the community to help alleviate some of the issues.

Amundson said not only is childcare unaffordable for many parents, but there’s also a shortage of quality daycares.

She says she believes using state taxpayer money to draw more people into the childcare field and help open more places could help alleviate some of the roadblocks.

“Frankly we need more folks to raise their hands and say ‘I want to do this work,’ but in order for them to raise their hands, we need to raise the rate of pay for the childcare workforce,” Amundson said. “We need to make sure that they have family-sustaining benefits that will keep them in this profession. And so I think the one thing we can do, whether it’s Wisconsin or Minnesota, is really look at ways to fund at the state level to help subsidize childcare for all families.”

We reached out to the city of Superior to learn about how much the “Project Growth” grant is worth and when it was awarded, but have not heard back yet.