Access to Child Care in Wisconsin EARLY CHILDHOOD ADVISORY COUNCIL DECEMBER 5, 2018 1
Defining a Child Care Desert For the purposes of this report we use slots instead of using regulated capacity. Slots are defined as regulated capacity multiplied by 1.3. 2
Child Care Deserts in Wisconsin Of Wisconsin’s 774 zip codes, 293 (38%) are considered child care deserts. 3
Comparing Wisconsin to Other States Share of population Share of ZIP codes that Share of population living under age 5 living in State are child care deserts in child care deserts child care deserts Illinois 60% 67.6% 71.7% Minnesota 65% 72.1% 74.9% Ohio 46% 27.0% 28.7% Wisconsin* 38%/45% 17.1%/26.5% 17.7%/27.4% *Note that the first number reported uses slots instead of regulated capacity when identifying child care deserts which is consistent with the data reported throughout this paper; the second number uses regulated capacity which provides a better comparison with data from other states. 4
Child Care Deserts by Region 5
Newly Regulated Providers by Region The Southeastern region • has the highest proportion of newly regulated providers and the lowest proportion of ZIP codes considered deserts. 82% of newly regulated • providers in the Southeastern region are in Milwaukee County. 6
Child Care Deserts in the Western Region Access to high quality (3-5 Star) Access to all regulated child care child care 7
The Trilemma We Face Availability Breakdowns in the Triad Have Consequences for: - Children - Parents & Families - Businesses Affordability Quality 8
I am unable to find child care, 1.3% A babysitter “I had to wait 8 or nanny months after my who comes into my Other daughter was home, 2.2% (please A licensed born to get her specify), child care 12.1% center, into daycare, 28.1% however, I put An unregulated provider her on a waiting who runs a business in their home, 17.0% list when I was 5 months A friend or A licensed or certified relative, pregnant” family child care provider, 13.4% 23.7% Before and/or After School Care, 2.2% 9
“I have one child in Boys’ and Girls’ Club, another that goes to a family friend because of cost and another that goes to daycare. The daycare center has more room, it just costs too much.” If you are unable to find childcare that fully meets your needs, which of the following have impacted your search? (check all that apply) Other (please specify below) Quality of available childcare options Cost of childcare Multiple children Age of the child(ren) Weekend care 2nd or 3rd shift work schedule Lack of providers where I work Lack of providers where I live 0.00% 100.00% 10
Only 43.5% of parents felt that their current child care arrangements fully met their family's needs Number of Child Care “I don’t have a guaranteed sitter. Arrangements My kids need a schedule and something consistent and they 15.0% don’t have that.” 42.5% “Desperate parents may sacrifice 42.5% finding a more qualified provider to ensure their child’s safety and development so they can keep 1 Child Care Arrangment 2 to 3 Child Care Arrangements their jobs” 4 to 7 Child Care Arrangements 11
Hours Parents Spend During Work Hours 15% Making Other Child 34% 7% Care Arrangements 15% For Jackson County with 8,614 employees, this 29% equates to about a loss of $209,738 per Less than 1 hour per month 1-2 hours per month month, $2,516,856 3-4 hours per month annually. 5 or more hours per month None 12
Availability Addressing Breakdowns in this Triad Creates Benefits Across the Board Affordability Quality 13
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