Goal: Make Child Care in Madison More Accessible
Programs are working to grow the market while also offering tuition assistance.
As with most growing communities, transportation, affordable housing and quality child care in Madison continue to top the list of needs for many of the region’s residents as well as employers.
“Consistent, high-quality early-learning environments provide immediate and long-term benefits for children, businesses and families. Families who are looking for housing need gainful employment and in turn, need high-quality child care options so they can work,” says Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway.
“Families are paying around 20% of their annual income on this expense. Providers in the city report having waitlists that total up to 2,000 children, which is further putting child care out of reach for families. The high cost and lack of availability have driven many people out of the workforce, especially women.”
“Consistent, high-quality early-learning environments provide immediate and long-term benefits for children, businesses and families.”
Satya Rhodes-Conway, Mayor of Madison
To help solve some of the city’s access issues, Rhodes-Conway has made child care a topline budget item for 2023, and the city has partnered with Satellite Family Child Care System to develop an accreditation system and training program for family-owned child care providers. Eligible families can also receive child care tuition assistance at the accredited care facilities.
“The city has a dedicated child care unit that provides technical assistance, accreditation services and funding to child care programs to support available spaces,” Rhodes-Conway says. “In addition, the child care unit contracts with local providers in an effort to eliminate barriers that families face when searching for child care, such as the need for drop-in care, emergency respite care or care for highly mobile populations.”
The Business Case
The city is also working to solve some problems on the business side of child care. The city’s Office of Business Resources supports child care providers through programs that assist with business planning, building improvements, microloans and property purchase. The city also works to identify property for child care providers that are interested in opening a new location or expanding their current business.
“Additionally, through our MOST (Madison-area Out-of-School Time) program, we support programs that provide after-school care for older children, including providing one-time retention bonuses and other privately funded investments directly into the workforce that have boosted retention rates,” Rhodes-Conway says.
“We’re also engaging with the state government, local business organizations, the United Way and others in conversations about how to better support child care providers in Madison.”
Many businesses have also recognized the critical need for child care and the relationship between quality care and a healthy bottom line. Health and bioscience organizations, including UnityPoint Health, SSM Health and Promega Corp., have opened licensed and highly rated child care facilities.
“Children who have access to high-quality early learning environments are more likely to be prepared for kindergarten, have higher high school graduation rates and are more likely to earn higher incomes and be gainfully employed as adults,” Rhodes-Conway says.
Get to Know the Madison Region
Want to learn more about living and working in the Madison Region of Wisconsin? Check out the latest edition of Livability Madison Region Economic Development.
