Work is rewarding in many ways. The amazing feeling you get from successfully completing a task. I hope your work brings you the satisfaction you seek. Enjoy and savor the Labor Day weekend as a reward for a job well done.
Throughout the year, I met with a variety of child care owners, teachers, and families with children.
They are passionate and insightful.
Their expertise as frontline child care experts provided the foundation of this Child Care Bill package.
I am honored to put forth legislation that is economically beneficial to all while ensuring safe, competent, and quality care for our children.
Childcare Bill Package
Child Care Pre-Tax Reimbursement Account
- This bill creates an account for child care expenses.
- Parents, families or employers may contribute to the account.
- The account is pre-state tax up to a maximum amount of $10,000.00.
Large Family Child Care Center
- Wisconsin is currently one (1) of thirteen (13) states that does not have licensing requirements and policies for this type of child care center.
- This bill creates a new category of at home child care centers.
- Current Family Care Centers are capped at eight (8) children. The Large Family is capped at twelve (12) children, or eight (8) children under the age of two (2).
- Large Family Child Care Centers are required to have at least two (2) employees.
Assistant Child Care Teachers
- This bill lowers the age to 16, and preserves all training and supervision requirements.
- Sole supervision of children by an assistant teacher is allowed only if there is a qualified school-age program leader on the premises.
- Currently, Assistant Child Care Teachers must be age 17. They are required to receive specific training in order to count in staffing ratios.
Child Care Ratios
- There are no state regulations addressing the teacher-child ratio for 4K. Instead, class size is determined by local school board policy. This bill allows day care centers to have the same worker to child ratio as their local school districts.
- Child care owner / operators are the best at determining the quality of care they would like to provide. Owner operators may continue with their current flexibility in ratios up to the proposed maximum while considering the skill of the teacher, the child’s age, health and behavioral status.
Certified Care Operators
- Under current law, child care operators that are certified can only care for up to three (3) children that are not their own children, in addition to up to three (3) children that are related to them, for a total of six (6) children. So, if you do not have any children that are related to you, you can only care for a total of three (3) children, not six (6).
- This bill allows certified child care operators to care for up to six (6) children in any combination of your own related children or unrelated children.
Childcare Statistics
- In Wisconsin, over 280,000 children are in need child care, but there are only about 171,000 available child care slots, leaving a deficit of 117,000.
- 40% of Wisconsin children live in families that cannot access regulated child care, which is larger than the national average.
- The average monthly price of full-time childcare is $915/child which is about $10,980/year.
- Married couples pay about 13%, while single parent families pay 34%of their income towards child care.
- About 20% of mothers who do not currently work would look for a job if they had better access to quality care, while an additional 42% would look for a higher paying job, and 29% of working mothers would seek additional schooling or training to help them advance in their careers.
- Rural communities are more underserved than urban communities, creating child care deserts.
- Roughly 70% of young mothers participate in the workforce. The Center for American Progress also found that fewer mothers in the workforce are directly associated with child care deserts.
I would like to recognize the child care organizations, owners/operators, and care providers in District #5.
Thank you for your generosity and sharing your expertise and ideas.
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Upcoming Events in District 5
Kaukauna American Legion Post #41-Brat Fry: Friday, September 8th, 2023
7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
StoneRidge Piggly Wiggly – Kaukauna, WI
The All American Garage T.A.A.G Gun Raffle: September 16th
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
1499 Lombardi Ave, Ashwaubenon
Family Fall Fest: October 8th, 2023
11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
St. Nicholas Church, W2037 County Rd S. Freedom, WI
Do you know of an event in District 5?
Please contact my office with any upcoming events. I look forward to sharing your event details in the next Goeben Gazette.
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Contact Information
My staff and I are here to serve you. If you have general questions or concerns regarding legislative matters, or if you need assistance with a state agency, please feel free to contact us. We are here to assist you!
We are also happy to schedule a meeting with you, either here in Madison, or in District 5.
Representative Joy Goeben
State Capitol, Room 209 North
PO Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708
Rep.Goeben@legis.wisconsin.gov
(608) 237-9105 or Toll Free (888) 534-0005
