Green Bay celebrates milestone in child care

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - The City of Green Bay is celebrating a major milestone when it comes to accessible child care.

Tuesday, the city will reveal how much availability has improved after an initiative launched in 2021.

The Brown County United Way will announce the number of new child care slots that have been added since the city council approved the Culturally Responsive Childcare Initiative using money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

There has been a persistent child care crisis both locally and nationally, and this was one piece of the puzzle for Green Bay.

The Brown County United Way partnered with Family & Childcare Resources of Northeast Wisconsin for this project.

The president and CEO of the United Way, Robyn Davis, says this is just the first step. After increasing accessibility, they want to leverage the success of the pilot program and tackle affordability.

“Expand it to providing stipends to families, because we know affordability is still a challenge for the households that we serve,” Davis said. “Those that are experiencing poverty and perhaps living below the federal poverty level, as well as those who are identified as ALICE -- Asset Limited, Income Constrained Employed -- we still know there’s a gap in affordability.”

Another focus going forward is providing training to those who become child care providers and support licensed daycare providers when it comes to running a business.

“For the 1 in 3 households that struggle to meet basic needs, including child care, we want to level up the training. For those who do become licensed, what is the support that they’re given to operate a business? So now we’re talking about the economics of the industry as well as affordability so on both ends,” Davis said.