Business/Community Resources

The Business-Child Care Partnership Tool Kit contains information and considerations for businesses and child care providers looking to partner within their communities. It is a resource for businesses interested in building child care capacity within their communities in an effort to create a stronger local workforce. Child care programs can also use this tool kit and it will showcase how they can benefit from partnering with businesses and ways to do so.

In the fall of 2021, DCF surveyed nearly 1,000 Wisconsin employers from every county in the state, across a wide range of industries. The goal was to better understand their perceptions about early care and education for children between birth and age 5, as well as what barriers businesses face in supporting employees’ child care needs. Gaining insight into their perspectives can help us connect Wisconsin business owners with the child care information and community-based resources they—and their employees—need to thrive.

• Download the Wisconsin Employer 2021 Research Snapshot
• Download the Comprehensive Research Findings

Download the Survey on Employee Needs for Child Care to gain better insight into the child care needs of your employees. This sample survey is provided in a Word document format so that you can adjust the questions to best fit your business. You can send the survey to your employees in this format to fill out, by email, or create your own online form. Please keep in mind that your employees may perceive these questions as sensitive, so we strongly suggest that:

1. You keep the survey anonymous and offer for employees to share their name only if they want to
2. You keep all results anonymous and unidentifiable when sharing.

DCF would like to capture the many ways in which Wisconsin communities are working together and innovating to solve the child care crisis. What do we mean by innovate?

innovate (verb) 1 make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products; could include applying new processes, introducing new techniques, or establishing successful ideas to create new value. 2 introduce (something new)

DCF wants to hear how new partnerships, business models, and/or investments have allowed communities to significantly enhance one or more of the following:

• Access to affordable child care in the community, and thus, more parents joining the workforce
• Quality of local child care to meet the needs of all children and families
• Fair compensation and job satisfaction for the early care and education workforce
• Equitable opportunity to a higher quality of life among community members Share your innovation by filling out the following form.

Upon review, your submissions may appear on our innovative communities webpage, where you can also view other solutions around Wisconsin. Fill out the form to share what your community is doing to innovate!

It’s hard to find affordable, high-quality child care that meets families’ needs in Wisconsin. However, affordable, high-quality child care could add a huge boost to Wisconsin’s economy each year. In 2020, 92% of regional virtual listening session participants called Wisconsin child care inaccessible. Year-long wait lists, fewer licensed child care programs, and rising costs have made it difficult for families to find the child care they need and can afford. For many, added challenges like non-traditional work hours, limited access to transportation, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can mean even fewer options. DCF created an infographic that illustrates these challenges.

When we all invest in quality child care everybody in Wisconsin benefits. For every dollar we spend ensuring our kids have safe, nurturing places to learn and grow, our communities get up to $9 back in better health, lower crime, higher incomes, and a stronger economy. But for everyone to benefit, we all must do our part. DCF created an infographic that illustrates how the community approach to solving child care challenges could work.