Wisconsin's child care crisis continues to impact families across the state, with some industry veterans raising concerns about recent regulatory changes meant to address the problem.
With 40 years of experience, Beverly Anderson, executive director of Ebenezer Child Care Centers, is particularly troubled by changes to required teacher-to-child ratios.
"That is not fair to the children, it is not fair to the staff, and it is just not the right thing to do," Anderson said.
The state recently loosened regulations, changing the required ratio from one teacher per four toddlers to one teacher per seven toddlers between 18 and 30 months old. Anderson believes this approach doesn't address the real issues facing the industry.
"To me, it is not solving anything," Anderson said.
Leslie Hundt, a 4K teacher with the Waukesha Schools Ebenezer Child Care Partnership Program and a 30-year veteran of child care, emphasized that families throughout Wisconsin are struggling with both availability and affordability. Many families face months-long waiting lists to get care..
"There is not enough child care for the families who come to our programs. Everybody has a wait list," Hundt said.
Watch: Child care experts send warning to parents about new Wis. day care regulations
The financial burden on families is substantial. In Waukesha County, the average family with an infant in child care pays $18,000 per year. That is more annually than the cost of tuition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Hundt wants lawmakers to recognize the educational value of quality child care.
"From our very youngest child to our very oldest child, they are all learning. They are all growing," Hundt said. "This is education. They need to see it as education."
Beyond the ratio changes, Anderson expressed alarm about another regulatory shift allowing 16-year-olds to work in child care centers. When asked if either of these changes was safe, Anderson was unequivocal.
"No, absolutely not. Absolutely not," Anderson said.
The new ratio requirements are currently part of a pilot program scheduled to expire in 2027 unless made permanent through additional legislation.
