Northwoods Forum to Examine Child Care’s Impact on Families and Workforce

A local forum next week will examine how the availability and affordability of child care is affecting families, employers and the workforce across northern Wisconsin.

Dream Up! Lincoln County and Advance Wisconsin Employment are hosting the Northwoods Forum on Child Care Wednesday, October 14th, at the Lincoln County Service Center in Merrill. Organizers say the discussion will look at child care not only as a family issue, but as a workforce and economic-development issue — including how access to child care affects employers’ ability to recruit and retain workers.

The forum will feature State Representative Patrick Snyder, who chairs the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Children and Families; Micki Krueger of Childcaring, Inc.; and Brian Kalish, executive director of Advance Wisconsin Employment. The discussion will be moderated by Lincoln County Economic Development Director Sara Guild and Elsa Duranceau, president and CEO of the Child Care Coalition of Wisconsin.

The forum is free and open to the public. A reception begins at 5:00 PM, with the forum getting underway at 6:00.