This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Beverly Anderson, executive director of Ebenezer Child Care Centers.
This not-for-profit child care agency has existed since 1968. It recently acquired another child care provider called Mary Linsmeier Schools, bringing it to seven total sites with another planned to open this summer.
Anderson discusses her recent testimony before the state Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, urging support for the state’s Child Care Counts program that was created near the start of the pandemic.
“We were deemed a necessity for the state, obviously for parents to be able to go to work, to have a place to take their children,” she said. “At the beginning of COVID, we had to cut back on enrollment, we weren’t allowed to enroll at full capacity. So obviously that would affect a program financially.”
The Child Care Counts program was meant to “supplement and support” programs like Ebenezer, and Anderson said it has greatly helped over the last several years, despite funding reductions that have occurred over time.
Now, as the program is set to expire this month, advocates for the program say child care providers face a major funding challenge if it’s not extended or funding isn’t directed to the industry through another avenue.
“We are continuing to fight the fight and get to our legislators, let them realize — hopefully get them to realize — what impact this will have on our field,” Anderson said. “There will no doubtedly be programs, smaller programs perhaps, that close. There will be some that will have to do very significant tuition increases, which parents can’t afford.”
As a result, employers will be affected as well, she argues. Some of their workers may leave the workforce due to not having child care anymore or not having affordable options, according to Anderson.
“We’re a stronger agency, we’re a larger agency, so financially we do feel we’ll be okay. We may have to do some hefty tuition increases, which again, we don’t want to do,” she said. “But there just may not be an option. But we will remain open, there’s no doubt on that, but I also know there’s programs that won’t be able to.”
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison:
