Here & Now

Daithi Wolfe Offers Five-Year Review of Youngstar

THE STATE’S CHILDCARE RATING SYSTEM HIT THE FIVE-YEAR MARK THIS YEAR. YOUNGSTAR WAS LAUNCHED FOLLOWING THE DISCOVERY OF MAJOR FRAUD IN THE PUBLICLY-SUBSIDIZED CHILDCARE PROGRAM AND IS MANDATED FOR PROGRAMS AND CENTERS THAT PARTICIPATE IN WISCONSIN SHARES. THE SYSTEM RATES CHILDCARE PROVIDERS ON A SCALE FROM ONE TO FIVE. FIVE IS THE HIGHEST, WITH A ONE STAR RATING NOT EVEN QUALIFYING TO TAKE CHILDREN WHOSE FAMILIES RECEIVE A STATE SUBSIDY. THE STATE SPENT MORE THAN $235 MILLION ON WISCONSIN SHARES LAST YEAR. THE WISCONSIN COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES CONDUCTED AN ANALYSIS OF THE YOUNGSTAR RATING SYSTEM, NOW FIVE YEARS IN, TO DETERMINE IF THE INTENDED GOAL OF INCREASING THE QUALITY OF CHILDCARE IN THE STATE IS BEING MET. DAITHI WOLFE IS A POLICY ANALYST WITH THE COUNCIL. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

DAITHI WOLFE:

IT’S GOOD TO BE HERE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

FOLLOWING YOUR ANALYSIS FIVE YEARS IN, WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE YOUNGSTAR CHILDCARE RATING SYSTEM AS BEING SUCCESSFUL IN INCREASING THE QUALITY OF CARE?

DAITHI WOLFE:

IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO SHOW PROGRESS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. AND WE’RE PARTICULARLY THRILLED TO SEE THAT THE NUMBERS OF LOW-INCOME CHILDREN THAT ARE ENROLLED IN THE HIGHER-QUALITY CENTERS, SO THAT MEANS THE THREE, FOUR AND FIVE STARS, HAS STEADILY INCREASED. WE’RE UP TO ABOUT 72% NOW. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVEN MORE KIDS, PARTICULARLY IN THE FOUR AND FIVE STAR, WHICH ARE THE REAL QUALITY ONES. AND WE’RE VERY PLEASED THAT THE GOVERNOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS SET TO RECOMMEND DOUBLING THAT NUMBER, SO THAT RIGHT NOW THERE’S ABOUT — THERE’S — 23% OF THE KIDS ARE IN THOSE PROGRAMS. THAT’S ABOUT 10,000. WE’D LIKE TO SEE THAT NUMBER DOUBLE. I THINK THAT COULD REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO HELP THOSE KIDS ON THE TRAJECTORY OF SUCCESS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

BECAUSE WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAY A TWO STAR AND A FIVE STAR CENTER?

DAITHI WOLFE:

WELL, I REALLY THINK IT’S THE QUALITY OF THE STAFF AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CHILDREN AND THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY CREATE THAT IS CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING. THE FIVE STAR PROGRAMS HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST I THINK 50% OF THEIR TEACHERS HAVE A BACHELOR’S DEGREE AND MOST OF THEM HAVE AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE. AND THE TRAINING THAT PROVIDERS GET TO WORK WITH CHILDREN IS REALLY KEY. I MEAN, YOU NEED TO CREATE A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE’S QUESTIONING AND WHERE THE KIDS ARE KIND OF GETTING SOME SELF-DIRECTION, BUT ALSO CONFIDENCE. AND A LITERACY-RICH ENVIRONMENT, AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ISN’T DOMINATED BY SCREENS AND DOCILE CHILDREN. WE WANT ACTIVE LEARNERS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND YET THE MAJORITY OF CENTERS IN WISCONSIN ARE STILL TWO STAR.

DAITHI WOLFE:

THAT’S REALLY BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY FAMILY CHILDCARE PROVIDERS WHO HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THAT JUMP UP TO THE THREE STAR, FOUR STAR, FIVE STAR. BUT IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN, THOSE CENTERS CAN ONLY TAKE FOUR TO EIGHT KIDS. SO THEY’RE VERY SMALL. WE HAVE SOME OF THESE FIVE STAR CENTERS THAT MIGHT HAVE 125, 150 KIDS. AND HOPEFULLY IF THE MAJORITY OF THE KIDS THAT ARE NEEDING THIS HELP ARE IN THOSE PROGRAMS, THAT’S GOING TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YOUR ANALYSIS ALSO SHOWS, THOUGH, THAT 13,000 FEWER CHILDREN ARE IN WISCONSIN SHARES THAN SIX YEARS AGO. WHAT’S THAT ABOUT?

DAITHI WOLFE:

WE DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW THE REASONS FOR THAT. I MEAN, I THINK IT STARTED WITH THE RECESSION AND THE FACT THAT LESS PEOPLE HAD JOBS AND SO WERE NOT ABLE TO QUALIFY. BUT WE’RE ALSO CONCERNED THAT MAYBE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING THROUGH, THAT THE PROCESS MAY HAVE SOME BUREAUCRATIC ISSUES, THAT THE FRAUD STUFF WAS A GOOD THING IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE EVERYTHING WAS ON THE UP AND UP. BUT IN SOME WAYS MAYBE IT’S ALSO GOTTEN IN THE WAY OF PROVIDERS AND FAMILIES BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THE PROGRAM.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THERE’S SOMETHING NEW HAPPENING, TOO, WITH A NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM THAT SOME PROVIDERS ARE SUGGESTING MIGHT PUSH THEM OUT OF BUSINESS BECAUSE THESE BONUSES THAT ACCRUE TO THE HIGHER-RATED CENTERS AREN’T HAPPENING UNDER THAT.

DAITHI WOLFE:

EXACTLY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO HAVE YOU SEEN THAT STARTING TO HAPPEN?

DAITHI WOLFE:

WE HAVE ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE OF THAT. WE’VE BEEN TOLD BY SOME OF THE PROVIDERS THAT DO RECEIVE THAT BONUS THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER TAKING THE WISCONSIN SHARES KIDS OR THEY’RE GOING TO DROP OUT. THAT’S A BIG CONCERN TO US BECAUSE IT’S A GOOD PROGRAM AND WE WANT IT TO WORK FOR AS MANY KIDS AS POSSIBLE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

GOING FORWARD YOU EXPECT TO DO ANOTHER ANALYSIS LOOKING AT THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE BY RACE. WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

DAITHI WOLFE:

YOU MAY KNOW THE WISCONSIN COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES HOSTED THE RACE TO EQUITY PROJECT FOR THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS AND WE’VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE DISPARITIES IN TERMS OF EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, PRISON — IN THE PRISON POPULATION, ET CETERA. CHILD CARE IS ANOTHER PLACE WE NEED TO DO THAT, AND OUR PRELIMINARY NUMBERS SHOW THAT IN FACT THERE IS SOME DISPROPORTIONALITY IN TERMS OF WHO’S GETTING THESE SERVICES AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT GOING FORWARD WE’RE PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT BECAUSE WISCONSIN IS 50TH IN THE COUNTRY IN TERMS OF A PLACE FOR BLACK CHILDREN TO BE AND WE WANT THAT TO IMPROVE FOR EVERYBODY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. DAITHI WOLFE, THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.

DAITHI WOLFE:

THANK YOU.