Child Caring asks Marathon County for $50,000 to train 10 more childcare workers

Kelly, a representative of Child Caring, told the HR, Finance & Property Committee that the county-funded childcare workforce expansion has placed participants into jobs and supported new providers. “We so far have been able to award 22 of the 30 scholarships,” Kelly said, noting that 20 people have completed initial training and been job placed. Kelly said the initial $200,000 investment helped two new family childcare providers open and helped retain staff at nine group centers.

Kelly asked the committee to consider a $50,000 continuation so the program can fund 10 more teachers’ roughly 150 hours of initial training, onboarding costs, background checks and limited incentive pay to retain trainees for up to two years. “If the county were able to continue supporting the childcare programs with a $50,000 investment, we could fund an additional 10 teachers,” Kelly said. Kelly also described an application to the Women’s Fund that would provide a $1-for-1 match of $50,000, potentially funding up to 20 new teachers if combined with county support.

Committee members asked about recent state and federal subsidy changes. Kelly said the Child Care Counts subsidy “completely ended with no additional funding at the end of June,” and warned that the program’s end is already producing program closures and higher fees for families. She reported losing six programs and roughly 60 slots in the last three months and said county support would help avoid further losses in 2027. The committee did not take a funding vote at the meeting; staff said they would weigh the request in the broader 2027 budget process and against other priorities.