This coming Monday, June 2, Fox Valley Initiative has Rep. Joy Goeben and Eric Balza, a community relations consultant, speaking on child care issues in Wisconsin. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Freedom Project Academy, 750 North Hickory Farm Lane, in Appleton. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Child care is emerging as a social and political issue in Wisconsin and throughout our nation. This is partly due to policies enacted by the Biden administration. Today there is available from the federal government $770,000,000 for the Child Care Counts Program. But there’s a problem: Once these federal funds are spent on this program, then states are going to be expected to fully fund these programs. The question then becomes do these programs truly help families or are they another government program that fails to deliver good results for the children and families involved?
There is no question that our children and often the families involved need help. Question is what kind of help will truly help the children and their families to become good strong healthy contributors to our State and Nation? Let us not forget what Ronald Reagan said about the government, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” I believe we all know that this often doesn’t lead to the help needed but the opposite, harm.
What is so often missing in our government and social policies are defined metrics aimed at holding all participants to standards that produce the needed results for all involved. Seldom do we hear of standards dealing with responsibility and accountability that are specified, followed, and broadly supported by our citizens.
How this issue is dealt with has far reaching consequences for the future of our state and nation.
I hope many will attend and bring their questions and concerns to this meeting Monday night.
