For Wisconsin families, childcare isn’t a side issue — it’s the issue that determines whether a parent can go to work, whether a small business can keep its employees, and whether a child gets the early foundation they deserve. David Crowley understands what’s at stake, and he’s running for governor with a clear commitment to making childcare work for Wisconsin families — not just the ones who can afford it.
Why Childcare Matters to Wisconsin Right Now
Wisconsin is facing a childcare crisis that touches every corner of the state. The average Wisconsin family pays more than $12,000 per year for infant care — exceeding the cost of in-state college tuition. For many two-parent households, that means one income goes almost entirely to childcare. For single parents, the math often doesn’t work at all. The result: parents — disproportionately mothers — leave the workforce, reduce their hours, or make impossible choices between career and family.
The supply side is just as broken. Wisconsin has lost hundreds of licensed childcare providers in recent years, leaving rural counties and working-class urban neighborhoods with too few options and long waitlists. Childcare workers — the people trusted with our youngest children — earn poverty-level wages that drive turnover and threaten program quality. Fixing Wisconsin’s childcare system isn’t just a family policy issue. It’s an economic development issue, a workforce issue, and a question of what kind of state we want to be.
Crowley’s Approach to Childcare Access and Affordability
David Crowley has spent his career in public service focused on the real, daily pressures facing working families in Wisconsin. As Milwaukee County Executive, he has led one of the state’s most populous and economically diverse counties — one where the gap between what families need and what government delivers is visible and urgent. That experience shapes how he thinks about childcare: not as a budget line, but as infrastructure.
Crowley believes that accessible, affordable childcare is foundational to a functioning economy and a fair society. His vision for Wisconsin prioritizes expanding childcare access for low- and middle-income families, supporting the childcare workforce with the wages and stability the job demands, and ensuring that families in rural communities have the same options as those in urban centers. He has consistently advocated for investments in early childhood as part of a broader commitment to giving every Wisconsin child a strong start — and every Wisconsin family a real shot at economic stability.
Where Wisconsin’s current leadership has treated childcare as an afterthought, Crowley sees it as a governing priority. For working families comparing candidates on this issue, the contrast is clear: Crowley brings both the values and the lived understanding of what affordable childcare access actually means for communities across this state.
Take Action for Wisconsin Families
If childcare affordability matters to you and your family, David Crowley is the candidate fighting to make change happen in Madison. Get involved today — because Wisconsin’s kids can’t wait.
