Survey shows: Demand for child care exceeds provider capacity » Urban Milwaukee

A state survey found that nearly 60 percent of child care facilities reported having unused capacity. But those potential spots would still not be enough to meet current child care needs in Wisconsin, the report said.

The survey collected voluntary responses from child care providers who applied for Child Care Counts, a government grant program created with federal funds from COVID-19 recovery assistance.

Providers said they could care for 33,000 more children if they reached current unused capacity. Group providers, i.e. those that care for nine or more children, made up the majority of the unfilled spots.

Half of the survey participants reported having a waiting list at their facility, particularly for infant care.

Respondents estimated that there are currently 48,000 children on waiting lists. Nearly 11,000 of these spots are for infants. Providers also reported that there are currently 8,000 pregnant women on waiting lists in the state.

Hilary ShagerThe report's author and deputy director of the University of Wisconsin's Institute for Poverty Research, said staffing shortages are a major reason for the lack of capacity expansion, especially among group providers. She said providers have cited low compensation as one of their main problems.

“The ability to pay a living wage and compete not only with other child care facilities or public schools, but also with fast food restaurants and retail,” she said. “It's really hard work and the wages are pretty low. It's a real challenge.”

Shager said prospective child care workers don't see the training requirements for these jobs as worthwhile, with survey respondents describing them as expensive and time-intensive. She said this may indicate that state policies need to be reevaluated to make it easier to recruit new workers.

“That's not to say we shouldn't have requirements,” she said. “But how do we support child care providers to gain this kind of knowledge? Is a traditional college degree the best way to go?”

Shager said the data suggests the state could rethink other policies, such as the care keyword, to make it easier for existing providers to fill the gaps without increasing tuition costs.

A survey released earlier this year by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families found that half of the child care spaces in the state are considered affordable.

Governor. Tony Evers and his administration pointed to the survey results as evidence that more funding is needed for the Child Care Counts program. Evers called for investments of more than $340 million to make the program permanent. Republican lawmakers rejected the plan and instead proposed a child care tax credit, which Evers signed into law in March.

Federal pandemic funding is expected to last until June 2025. But declining payments under the program have already impacted providers, DCF Secretary Jeff Pertl.

“Unfortunately, part of the severe labor shortage we see in this survey is a side effect of cutting Child Care Counts program payments in half and a foretaste of what to expect should the program no longer receive federal funding,” Pertl said in a press release.

Listen to the WPR report

Survey: Demand for childcare exceeds provider capacity was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.