Providers and non-profit groups in Green County have teamed up to bolster child care where demand exceeds supply so drastically that the county has been called a child care desert.

The third major part of Green County’s child care project is covered by a $100,000 “seed accelerator” grant awarded in July by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), with the money going to child care providers.

Providers will use the money for new employee signing bonuses. Funds from the grant will also cover classes that unlicensed providers need to be certified or licensed with the state, with additional bonuses going to providers when they reach each of those credentials.

(Adapted from “In Green County, working to ameliorate a child care desert,” November 15, 2021, Wisconsin Examiner)