Families with young children have been some of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 Pandemic - in a variety of ways.  Child care has long been recognized as a major issue for some for a long time, but the events of the past year have only magnified that situation.  Even as a variety of other industry and people have seen aid and stimulus funds, the child care industry as a whole stands out as a priority.

To alleviate some of the shortfalls, the federal government distributed funding to states for child care programs at the end of last year (in December).  The State of Wisconsin received about $149 million as part of the COVID-19 relief package that was approved by Congress. Now - according to an article by the Superior Telegram - the state is ready to distribute those funds to where it's needed.

All told, the state has put together a proposal that would see around $132 million of that funding distributed to child care providers who are struggling with "programming, technology, and staff salaries".  If the proposed relief package gets approved, those dollars would reach their targets by the end of June 2021.

This funding would assist child care business owners in addition to the funding that was already distributed last year.  According to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - via news sources - "$51 million in previous federal aid was distributed last year to about 2,700 child care businesses across Wisconsin who serve about 80,000 children".

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The article goes on to explain that those dollars were put to good use:  "More than 2,100 of those providers used funds to recruit and retain workers". The State of Wisconsin has similar plans for the new $132 million it's proposing to distribute:  "Of the $132 million in new aid, $10 million would be directed toward worker recruitment and retention efforts".

Prior to being distributed, plan must be approved by the state legislature.

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