Strengthening Systems So Children Can Thrive

Thriving Wisconsin Member Network:

Family Resource Centers (FRCs) and Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs)

A Note from the Director
Network Activities
Welcome Nikki Peters
Welcome New FRC Member
Play While You Wait Toolkit
How TANF Helps Families
Governor Evers visits FRC
Lt. Governor Visits FRC
Partners in Advocacy Update
Family Support Activities
Member Spotlight

Supporting Children During Immigration Enforcement
CCR&R Supports & Services
CCR&R Training Data
A Transformative Collaboration
4C for Children Spotlight
CCR&R Training Webpage
Upcoming Events
Thriving Wisconsin Marketing
Staff & Board Members

A Note from Thriving Wisconsin's Executive Director

As we move through a busy and productive period, I’ve been reflecting on the distinction between taskwork and teamwork and the role both play in achieving meaningful results. Taskwork drives progress. It ensures our programs and initiatives advance. Teamwork, however, transforms progress into impact. It is the collaboration, shared problem-solving, and commitment to support one another that allows us to achieve outcomes we could not accomplish alone.

Equally important is the practice of intentionally celebrating our successes. By acknowledging what is working, from major achievements like grant wins to the small victories and effective processes that keep our work moving forward, we strengthen our organizations by reinforcing shared goals and supporting the motivation and wellbeing of all who contribute. Pausing to recognize both effort and outcomes fuels our energy, sharpens our purpose, and provides clarity for the work ahead.

This quarter, I encourage all of us to engage intentionally in teamwork, reflection, and celebration. By valuing both the work we do and the ways we do it together, we ensure that our collective efforts are not only effective but also meaningful and enduring. Most importantly, it strengthens our path toward a future where early childhood systems across Wisconsin truly thrive.

With gratitude,

Welcome Nikki Peters to Thriving Wisconsin's Team

Nikki Peters is the Child Care Access Specialist at Thriving Wisconsin with 10 years of hands-on experience working directly with children and their families. She is passionate about family well-being and committed to breaking down barriers to child care to ensure that all families have access to high-quality care.

Before joining Thriving Wisconsin, Nikki managed programs at the Boys & Girls Club. Her experience with youth and families led her to pursue a graduate degree at UW-Madison, where she focused her studies on early learning and family policy.

Prior to joining Thriving Wisconsin, Nikki completed an internship at Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA) where she researched child care regulation and published a blog titled "Deregulation of Early Care and Education Classroom Ratios in Wisconsin". You can read the blog article here.

Nikki is excited to join Thriving Wisconsin to support child care access across the state, enhance her advocacy skills, and collaborate with her colleagues to uplift children and families.

Thriving Wisconsin Welcomes Our Newest Member!

Thriving Wisconsin is excited to welcome our newest Member, Nurturing Little Seeds Family Resource Center, out of Waupaca County. Nurturing Little Seeds increases our membership to 41 community based CCR&Rs and FRCs!

Nurturing Little Seeds Family Resource Center provides a wide range of family-centered services, including:

Family Fun Events
Basic needs support (diapers, clothing)
Promote parents as their child’s first teacher and support their understanding of child development through their literacy lending library and social media posts
Navigate families to community resources/supports

Learn more about Nurturing Little Seeds FRC HERE

New Resource! Play While You Wait Toolkit for Public Spaces

Supporting kids and families in public spaces is what the Play While You Wait Toolkit is all about. It provides easy‑to‑use materials for clinics, offices, and other waiting areas to help parents and caregivers engage with their children during wait times—offering simple, meaningful alternatives to technology and media.

This Toolkit can also be shared directly with parents for use at home, on the go, or anywhere families spend time waiting. It encourages playful interactions that build early learning skills, strengthen parent‑child relationships, and turn everyday moments into opportunities for growth.

This toolkit was created by members of Wisconsin's Strengthening Families Committee. Access the toolkit HERE and share broadly with community partners to benefit from these resources!

How TANF Helps Families

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program helps families who are struggling financially. TANF supports families by meeting basic needs, helping parents find jobs, and encouraging healthy family relationships. States can use TANF funds in many different ways to meet the needs of their communities.

The Office of Family Assistance recently shared a series of briefs showing how states are using TANF to help families become stronger and more independent. One brief highlights the work of Family Support Centers (FSCs) which are similar to FRCs here in Wisconsin. These centers give families a single place to find free or low‑cost services. FSCs help families stay safe, get support early, and avoid involvement with child protective services. This work supports TANF’s main goal: helping families care for their children at home or with relatives.

Access these briefs HERE

The Parenting Place Hosts Governor Evers

The Parenting Place partner with Emplify Health by Gundersen in strengthening their commitment to their employees, the communities they serve and Wisconsin’s workforce by becoming the state’s largest Family Friendly Workplaces certified employer.

The Parenting Place was proud to host Governor Evers, local Legislators, and partners to celebrate Emplify Health by Gundersen's achievement.

Lieutenant Governor Visits Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County

Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez stopped by the Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County to hear more about how their programs strengthen and support individuals and families across Sheboygan County.

Photo includes (front row, left to right) Melissa Udovich, Allison Oliphant, Lt. Gov Sara Rodriguez, Kirsten Cooper, Brooke Lemke, (back row) Denise Stueven, Shannon Schuren, Carol Myers, Renee Wachuta, and Amanda Oonk.

Partners in Advocacy Update

Uniting for Stronger Early Childhood Advocacy

Thriving Wisconsin and Celebrate Children Foundation co-hosted a convening with The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, bringing together early childhood leaders from across the state to deepen understanding of Wisconsin’s policy landscape and identify shared priorities to better support children and their families/caregivers. With space limited, we intentionally convened a small, diverse cross-section of partners and had thoughtful conversations about who else should be engaged as this work continues to grow.

The event was a tremendous success — thank you to everyone who joined us! We heard overwhelmingly positive feedback. Attendees were grateful for the chance to connect in person, and it was powerful to see a collaborative spirit across the sectors and agencies represented.

Together, the group reached consensus around several exciting shared advocacy priorities that can strengthen families statewide (stay tuned for more details)! This kind of cross-sector collaboration is exactly what Wisconsin needs to move early childhood systems forward. We are energized by the momentum and look forward to continuing this work together!

Thank you again to The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, Payne Consulting LLC, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, and all who participated for your leadership, insights, and commitment.

Family Support Updates

Member Spotlight: Northwest Connection Family Resources "Parents Interacting with Infants" (PIWI) Play Groups

Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI) is a 6‑week play group designed to strengthen positive caregiver–child interactions. Each session focuses on a Developmental Observation Topic (D.O.T.), offering education, activity tips, and opportunities for families to explore themed environments that support social‑emotional growth through play, communication, and exploration.

Last year, Katie Harder (Family Support Coordinator) and Kathy Mullally (Executive Director) participated in the statewide PIWI Planning and Advisory Group through the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health. Katie was also invited to serve as a PIWI Coach for Family Resource Center Inc located in Eau Claire, helping staff prepare for and launch their first PIWI series. She supported the FRC with recruitment planning, D.O.T. selection, session design, and attended several play groups to provide guidance and feedback; expanding PIWI’s reach and impact across Wisconsin.

Northwest Connection Family Resources also deepened its partnership with the Hayward School District by launching a PIWI group for caregivers and their 3‑year‑olds at the Primary School. Hosting PIWI sessions onsite supports smoother transitions into 4K, offers easy access for families, and encourages social interaction among children inside and outside the Early Childhood Program. Three families visited the Primary School for the first time through PIWI, strengthening school connections and fostering meaningful caregiver engagement.

Supporting Children During Immigration Enforcement Operations Training

Many children from immigrant and refugee families have loved ones at risk of deportation. For these children, immigration enforcement operations in a community can pose a risk to mental health and development. Fortunately, supportive adults in a child’s life can play a large role in protecting children’s mental health and promoting positive development.

The Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health recently hosted a training to support children and families and the recording is now available for viewing. This training offers concrete strategies that adults can use to support children during periods of uncertainty and fear.

Recording available until April 2026 HERE

Additional Print Resources:

Supporting Children After a Parent's Deportation or Detention (English, Spanish, Somali, Haitian Creole, Pashto, Dari) - Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health HERE

When children are afraid of a parent’s deportation (English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Somali) - Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health HERE

Early Care & Education

A Transformative Collaboration Elevates Early Childhood Development in La Crosse

In November, a groundbreaking collaboration came to fruition in the La Crosse area. Earlier in the year, the La Crosse School District had approached The Parenting Place to lead its annual professional development event, Rebuilding for Learning. With the year’s focus centered on strengthening foundational learning in early childhood, the district turned to The Parenting Place as the community’s trusted early childhood experts.

The event gathered school district staff, educators, and community partners for a full day of interactive, research‑informed training on childhood and adolescent development. Training Specialist, Penny Chase, played a pivotal role as both planner and facilitator, helping to shape a dynamic learning experience for all attendees.

The day’s agenda featured three distinct presentations, including essential content on early childhood social and emotional development, reinforcing the vital role early experiences play in long‑term learning and well‑being.

4C for Children Spotlighted in Milwaukee Succeeds Annual Report

4C for Children’s longstanding partnership with Milwaukee Succeeds was prominently recognized this year. Milwaukee Succeeds featured Executive Director, Terri Alexander, on the cover of its annual report, highlighting the collaborative work taking place across the community. The cover showcased Terri’s participation in Child Care Advocacy Day in Madison, where she joined partners from Milwaukee Succeeds, WECA, Raising Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Head Start Association to elevate critical issues impacting early care and education.

CCR&R Network Training Webpage!

The Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Upcoming Trainings webpage provides a list of trainings available through the CCR&R Network. This list gives providers options for taking trainings that work with their schedule.

Information on delivery method, agency offering the training, and start and end date of the training are included in the list.

Check out CCR&R Upcoming Trainings

Providers can view a full list the following trainings:

Child Care Foundational Trainings (Introduction to the Child Care Profession, Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care, Skills and Strategies for the Child Care Teacher, and Fundamentals of Family Child Care).
Health and Safety (Abusive Head Trauma Prevention with Mandated Reporter, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Reduction, Pediatric First Aid, and Infant and Child CPR with AED).
Wisconsin Pyramid Model (8 Part Series, Infant/Toddler 8 Part Series, e-Modules with Reflective Coaching - Birth to 5, and e-Modules with Reflective Coaching - Preschool).
Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards
Strengthening Families through Early Care and Education with Mandated Reporter
Other (Basic Health and Safety Topics, Onboarding New Staff, Understanding Regulatory Requirements, and Supervising Children).

Note: The upcoming training events listed on this page are not an exclusive list. To find more trainings, visit your local CCR&R's training calendar by clicking on their logo at the bottom of the webpage.