Nationwide, the average yearly cost of care rose to $11,582 per child last year, according to Child Care Aware of America’s latest annual report. The basic costs of employing enough staff to comply with legal and safety requirements in child care centers are already high. The typical hourly wage for a child care worker in Wisconsin is $13.78, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Facing a “child care cliff”The historic $24 billion federal investment helped more than 225,000 providers nationwide — or more than 8 in 10 licensed child care centers — and affected as many as 10 million children. My First Adventure Child Care and Preschool serves 60 families but will close this summer.

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Persons: Susan Elandt, ” Elandt, I’m, “ It’s, “, Elandt, what’s, ”, Lydia Higgins, Higgins, ” Higgins, she’s Organizations: CNN, Nationwide, of Columbia, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Century Foundation Locations: Waupaca , Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Waupaca