In December 2021, Madison College received a 3-year, $2.9 million grant to address workforce challenges in the region. Our grant efforts focus on child care and the associated workforce challenges that reduce families’ ability to access quality care, enter and remain in the workforce, and access family-sustaining wages.

Sign for early learning campus

Investment in child care pays dividends over the life of the child. The National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs found that high-quality early childhood programs can yield a four to nine dollar return on each one dollar invested. We also know that investments in higher education translate to higher wages and improved societal outcomes, like increased civic participation and lower risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. The combined yields from these investments will provide returns to our communities for generations. 

The project implementation is led by Donna Jost, the Early Learning Campus Manager, and Jessica Cioci, Dean, School of Human and Protective Services.

 

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Our Work

A roadmap for child care access

Our approach to child care gives students the knowledge that while they invest in themselves, they can also be investing in their children through affordable, high-quality child care. Child care delivery must look different based on the student and community needs.

Our child care roadmap informed by stakeholders in our communities guides us in implementing a community-centered approach to child care delivery. If you have trouble accessing this document, contact Erin Trondson at etrondson@madisoncollege.edu or 608.616.1546.

Support existing child care in our community and delivering it ourselves

  • Connect child care providers to training and support to improve quality ratings
  • Provide student placements connecting future employees to potential employers aiming to expand and extend their available care;
  • Provide subsidies to high-quality child care facilities serving our student-parents, per our roadmap
  • Open a child care center for our Madison Goodman South Campus and explore offering care at our other campuses

Expand the child care professional pipeline

  • Expand access to the Early Childhood Education Infant/Toddler certificate in both English and Spanish.
  • Expand access to early childhood education offerings at our regional campuses.
  • Provide scholarships to reduce the cost to students looking to complete Early Childhood Education programs. The scholarship application will be linked here in the fall.  

Support access to learning and support student-parents

  • Develop and participate in consortiums of employers and community-based organizations to increase awareness and access among diverse populations and needs
  • Provide support to student-parents through the college’s student-parent navigator

Grant Application Partners

We couldn’t do this work without the support of our partners.