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WFCCA WINTER NEWSLETTER
Volume 40, Issue 4, January 2023
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President Letter
Hello Everyone,
Welcome to winter, not sure about yours, but my kids have been so excited to get so much time enjoying the fun outside during the mild temps we have had so far.
As a Board, we have been hard at work planning and preparing for our 2023 Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency in Green Bay on May 4-6, 2023. Conference Registration is now open and we have an incredible lineup of Speakers planned for this Conference.
The Board has also been working on some advocacy to see if we can get licensing to make some changes. We need your help to make those licensing changes though, please edit the letters that were sent to you to make them more personable to your program and your program’s needs, and send the letters to your Legislature ASAP and pass them along to others to send as well. We need many voices to make any changes, as this will help so many families with children in Wisconsin if we can get the changes made that we are looking to change.
Enjoy the Snow,
Tara Ebben
WFCCA President
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41st CONFERENCE 2023
Registration is now open
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SNOW much Fun!
By Janell Moran
Honeypie Nature PLAYschool, McFarland WI
Once upon a time, I dreaded the transition to and from the outdoors-especially as the sole Family Child Care Provider of a mixed age group. It would take all of the joy and excitement out of the wonder and joy of spending time outdoors. While I found it easier to supply snowpants, hats and mittens for the children of my program to ensure that everyone was properly dressed for an ample amount of time outdoors in the winter months, the time it took to get everyone ready and out the door was not the best of times! A learning experience for sure, but oh so much work!!! This year, I decided to change that! Our program has been blessed to receive funds from the DCF Child Care Counts program which has helped to cover the operating costs and quality improvement purchases for our program, with a few months remaining of CCC, I decided to use the funds to purchase 1 piece snowsuits for our program (2-3 in each size). After researching various different brands and the prices and the quality of snowsuits, I decided to purchase from Mountain Warehouse-bonus-in October they had a couple of different choices on clearance at just $49.99 each!!!! By November, our snowsuits had arrived and we have used them nearly every day since then. Now, the transition to and from outdoors is a breeze!!! And bonus-the younger children have a much easier time putting them on and taking them off! We are already so close to having all but the one year olds self dress for the outdoors! If you are on the fence about purchasing snowsuits for your program-here’s your sign to do it! I wish I would have made this choice 14 years ago!!!!! Happy Winter!
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WECA Corner article
Raising Wisconsin: Advocating for Significant State Child Care Investment
Raising Wisconsin is calling for the state Legislature to prioritize child care in the 2023-25 state budget by investing $300 million to continue the Child Care Counts Program. Since 2020, the program has been funded through federal pandemic relief dollars allocated by the state and supports child care programs with payments that can be used for increasing provider compensation and supporting other operational needs. The relief funding, however, expires in January 2024 – and the result of a looming fiscal cliff.
Without ongoing financial support, programs will likely be forced to raise tuition or close or reduce their availability at even higher rates, creating a ripple effect for families and communities across the state. The investment is especially critical amid the backdrop of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Wisconsin survey results that say providers are considering leaving the field, most commonly citing a lack of staff and compensation challenges. In particular, nearly one-third said they are or maybe are considering leaving their job or closing their family child care program.
Learn more about Raising Wisconsin’s state budget request, including informational documents and talking points, by visiting the initiative’s State Budget Request website page. Want additional advocacy resources? Check out the Early Childhood Professionals page in the site’s Take Action section.
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Talking TAXES: Holding Up the Business End of a Caring Profession
presented by WI Family Child Care Providers-Teacher's Lounge
Last Fall a new Facebook group was formed by Mary Olson, a Licensed Family Child Care provider in Stevens Point. The Facebook group, "WI Family Child Care Providers-"Teacher's Lounge" was formed to begin reaching, connecting, and growing leaders in Family Child Care. It is a place for Family Child Care providers to connect, collaborate, and support each other and to share the joys and challenges of this amazing profession. This space is intended to provide a sort of virtual 'teacher's lounge' for providers -a diverse, non-judgmental environment for great conversation! For that purpose, this group 'gathers' virtually in a monthly 'Huddle" (coining a term used by Childcaring in the Covid era!). You, as members of WFCCA, are invited to join in on these huddles. Our next Virtual Zoom 'Huddle' is on Wednesday, January 25th at 1:30 pm. The time and dates will vary each month so that as many providers as possible have opportunities to join in these Zoom "lounge chats"! Each month we begin our huddle with a topic but that is just a starting point and participants are encouraged to bring questions, ideas, challenges, and wonders to the huddle. This month our base topic is "Talking TAXES-holding up the business end of a caring profession"! The QR code for the Facebook group is included below. Please email Mary Olson at [email protected] to receive a link to the Zoom 'Huddle'!
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Executive Directors and Operational Chairpersons
President: Tara Ebben, [email protected]
Vice-President: Billie Jo Walmer, [email protected]
Secretary: Janell Moran, [email protected]
Treasurer: Sarah Fleming, [email protected]
Region Rep Coordinator: Diane Eisen, [email protected]
Conference Coordinators: Sarah Fleming, [email protected], and Peggy Bliese, peggysuebliese@gmail.com
Website Administrator: Amy Nogar, [email protected]
Member Communications: Jasmine Waldner, [email protected]
Quality Improvement: Katy Schultz, [email protected]
Marketing Coordinator:
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