GREEN BAY, Wis. — Twenty-two percent of the Fox Valley is considered a child care desert, according to a 2023 report by Kids Forward.

Kathy Stachura founded Cuddle Care 31 years ago in Green Bay. She said she got into the child care business for a very practical reason.

"I saw there was a need in the community at a time and I felt I could do a good job at it," Stachura said. 

What You Need To Know

  • 22% of the Fox Valley is considered a child care deseert, according to a 2023 report by Kids's Forward

  • That same report found that families in Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties could pay up to 17% of their annual income to cover the cost of just one infant

  • The Child Cares Counts Programs provided funding to over 4,400 childcare providers across the state

She said in the last few years, she’s seen the number of providers drop. On "A Day Without Child Care," a national advocacy day, she said she wanted to highlight the importance of the workers who help Wisconsin families.

"This day is about an awareness for the community of what child care really means to the community. Without child care, we have a workforce development issue. People can't go to work if they don't have child care and it has to be affordable child care," Stachura said.

Many Wisconsin counties don’t have enough licensed child care slots available to meet the needs of families with young children, according to a 2024 University of Wisconsin-Madison report. Stachura said she has dozens of families needing child care.

"We have a waitlist of probably about 40 children right now," Stachura said.

Stachura said she is hoping for additional legislative help through the Child Cares Counts Program. This program provides funding to child care providers to help them stay open, retain staff and provide high-quality care. Funding for this program is set to expire June 2025.

Stachura said this funding would also help retain staff members, including Lisa Story. She has worked at Cuddle Care for 25 years. 

"I love children. I just love watching them grow from starting from infants all the way up to like, you know, 12 years of age," Story said.

Story said she hopes this advocacy day serves as a reminder of the importance of child providers.

"We are not babysitters. We are teaching your kids social skills. We're teaching them math and reading. They're learning how to interact with other kids here," Story said.

Stachura said it’s getting harder to find and retain dedicated staff like Story. She said she hopes the industry’s big issues are given a voice.

"Child care is a workforce development issue and the staff are amazing people and they deserve to get compensated," Stachura said.

Related Stories