Weekly Fiscal Facts are provided by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education. The Wisconsin Public Policy Forum logo can be downloaded here.
More low-income children receiving high-quality child care
As of July 2018, nearly three of every four children participating in the Wisconsin Shares program were receiving care from providers rated three stars or higher, meaning the providers met “proficient levels of quality standards” or better. Nearly half (47.2 percent) were receiving care from providers rated three stars, while more than one in four (27.2 percent) were enrolled in high-quality programs rated four or five stars.
Data from the state Department of Children and Families also show a great deal of progress has been made over the last five years in moving more children into higher-quality care. In February 2013, only 56.1 percent of children were enrolled in programs rated three stars or higher compared with 74.4 percent in July 2018. During the same period, enrollment in high-quality four- and five-star programs statewide increased from 14.3 percent to 27.2 percent.
This information is a service of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, the state’s leading resource for nonpartisan state and local government research and civic education.
