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La Crosse reports drop in empty licensed child-care slots to 86; city-funded grants and programs expanded
Summary
City-funded childcare project manager reported that empty regulated childcare slots in La Crosse fell from 200 in 2023 to 86 in January 2025 and reviewed ARPA-funded programs—start-up grants, back-to-capacity grants, a $100,000 facility-retention round, mentorships, an employer-supported pilot, and upcoming appreciation and training events.
Michelle, the project lead for the city’s ARPA-funded childcare initiative administered through the Parenting Place, told the commission on April 23 that the number of empty regulated childcare classroom slots in La Crosse fell to 86 in January 2025, down from 200 in 2023 and 136 in 2024.
The reduction, Michelle said, coincides with several programs funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that the city has been administering to stabilize and expand licensed childcare capacity. “I think a large part of it comes from the back to capacity grants that we have been utilized,” Michelle said, describing how grants were used to help programs hire or reclassify staff so closed classrooms could reopen.
The childcare provider survey the project has administered annually since January 2023 also found that 91% of group childcare centers and 36% of family…
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