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- [00:01]
Gloria Rivera
Calling all early educators. Neighborhood Villages, an innovative nonprofit organization working towards a transformed early childhood education system that meets the needs of all children, families and educators, invites you to learn about Learning Through Exploration, its new play based curriculum created specifically for toddlers and their caregivers, Learning Through Exploration offers an anti bias, Reggio inspired approach to teaching. This developmentally conscious curriculum provides toddlers with playful, engaging and joyful learning experiences. It also offers support for teachers as well as recommendations for activities and children's literature. The Best News it's free and available now on Neighborhood Villages website. Visit www.NeighborhoodVillages.org to download the curriculum. You'll also find free webinars and resources to get you started.
- [00:59]
Tony Evers
Guess what? Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. You heard right, 99%. If you don't think so, maybe it's time to face facts. You're stuck in the past. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report. Learn more at discover.com credit card.
- [01:20]
Gloria Rivera
Hey everyone. First off, we want to thank you for listening to no One Is Coming to Save Us. And now we want to hear from you we what you've learned, what's sticking with you, what questions you still have, and what you're motivated to do as a result of listening. Right now, you can take our short survey to help us better understand the impact of our work. And even better, once you've completed the survey, you can enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. The survey is short and sweet, I promise, and it will really help us keep bringing you content you love. Take the survey at Bit ly noonesurvey that's bit ly no onesurvey thanks again. Lemonade.
- [02:09]
Reshma Sajani
A Matter of Days A pandemic.
- [02:10]
Gloria Rivera
Era child care funding program is set to expire nationwide.
- [02:14]
Angela Harris
Around 40% of child care centers in western Wisconsin alone say they may have to shut down if help does not come soon.
- [02:20]
Tony Evers
Milwaukee Public Schools has reached a tipping point and we're not alone.
- [02:24]
Gloria Rivera
The District announcing Friday they're facing a $200 million budget shortfall. Governor Tony E. Called a special session Wednesday in hopes of continuing funding the program, but the Republican controlled legislature ended the session immediately. Welcome folks to the last episode of no One is Coming to Save Us Season 4. This week we thought we'd try something different. So far this season we've been examining these big issues poverty, homelessness, mental health and climate change. Today we're talking about the connection between child care and school readiness, how what happens from zero to five can have a lasting impact on a kid's school experience. Sending students to kindergarten, backed by just a few years of high quality early ed would transform K through 12 education. It could reduce grade repetition, increase reading levels, and set the stage for a lifetime of higher earning. And choosing not to invest in this early ed could set students behind for the rest of their lives. To see this impact in action, we're going to explore one case study. We're doing a deep dive into one particular place, a place where in the past they almost got it all right with free preschool for all four year olds. But in the present, they're getting it very, very wrong. I'm sure you caught it from the opening, but I'm talking about Wisconsin, heart of the Midwest, perennial swing state and undisputed cheese curd capital of the world. I'm Gloria Rivera, and this is no One Is Coming to Save Us, a show about America's childcare crisis. We're looking at Wisconsin this week because it is the perfect example of how our children are being failed by our politicians. With that said, Wisconsin is far from the only state with this problem. The National Institute for Early Education research finds that average state spending on preschool is about the same as it was 21 years ago. For a brief moment, Wisconsin was on the right track. Back in 1984, Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to pass a bill giving almost every four year old access to free preschool. Universal pre K. Like a child learning to walk, it's an important step towards improving early education in America. But of course, it's just the beginning. Despite the promise of pre K to almost every kid in the state, Wisconsin's education system is deeply, deeply flawed across a lot of students, especially black and brown kids have not been able to access this resource, so they're not ready for school by the time they start kindergarten. So with such a groundbreaking pre K program on the books since the 80s, how did we end up here? Well, mostly it comes down to one simple money. The state legislature continually refuses to invest enough in early education and the K12 system. And that has serious impacts on families across the state. Nowhere is this more evident than in Wisconsin's largest city, Milwaukee. If you've never been to Milwaukee, it is so beautiful. It sits on the shores of Lake Michigan. It's cold in the winter and hot in the summer. They have one of the best art museums in the country. But it's also a city with a lot of problems. Milwaukee is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country. A deep history of redlining De industrialization and white flight has had an enormous impact on Milwaukee's black community. And the school district, funded mostly by local property taxes, is constantly dealing with massive deficits. This year, they're facing down a $60 million budget shortfall. The effects of all this on education cannot be overstated. Milwaukee is the city with the worst black white achievement gap in the country. Wisconsin is the state with the worst black white achievement gap in the. And no one knows this better than Angela Harris. She's a second grade teacher in Milwaukee and the president of the Milwaukee Black Educators Union.
- [07:06]
Brooke Lagler
Wisconsin went way too long without addressing some of the racial issues that exist here in our state. Milwaukee didn't become the most segregated city in the United States of America for no reason.
- [07:20]
Gloria Rivera
Angela understands exactly how important early education is to helping kids succeed in the public school system. Before she was an elementary school teacher, she worked in childcare centers for over a decade.
- [07:34]
Brooke Lagler
And as I worked in the field, I just saw how important it was for children to have access to early childhood education and how much it taught them. There's so much social and emotional learning that happens in those formative years that they wouldn't necessarily get if they were just at home by themselves.
- [07:53]
Gloria Rivera
Now, right about now, you might be thinking, wait. But Wisconsin does have access to early education. So why does a state that offers universal preschool have such serious problems with its educational system? Well, for starters, Wisconsin's preschool program starts at 4 years old. They call it 4K. Offering this resource starting at that age is way too late in the 0 to 5 development window. That's four years of quality education that kids are still missing out on. Another key caveat. The 4K program isn't actually universal. Public school districts can choose whether or not to offer it, and it has to be free. Most do. 99% of the districts have a 4K program. The real problems come when you start looking at quality. The National Institute for Early Education Research evaluates the quality of state early education systems Systems based on 10 criteria. These include things like bachelor's degrees for teachers, class sizes, and how well they assess students with special needs. So the best early education system would meet all 10 of their benchmarks. But guess how many Wisconsin meets? Two. Two out of 10. So yeah, if families can't afford private child care, their kids get free 4k. But what that means in practice is that families get one year of half day preschool that's underfunded, doesn't meet national quality standards, and doesn't meet parents where they're at. Not exactly a preschool utopia. And Angela can see the difference in her classroom between kids who have gotten quality early education and those who haven't. It's plain as day.
- [09:47]
Brooke Lagler
It is very clear what children have had access to some sort of learning environment prior to school, whether it be a. In home, daycare, or a childcare center. You can tell that they understand, like, classrooms have structure. Right. There are rules that needed to be followed. They also understand how to socialize and interact with one another in a way where children who do not go to daycare or who have not had those types of experiences do not. And so that means that there is an increased learning curve for them. Right. Because not only now do they have to focus on this academic work, which is honestly so heavy in first and second grade. Not only do you have to focus on that academic work, but now they also have to focus on the social and emotional learning part as well. And so some students really struggle with that.
- [10:39]
Gloria Rivera
The thought that came to mind was that you had to play, and you probably do still have to play at some points. Early educator to those kids who are the same age as everyone else in the classroom, as well as the grade that you're teaching. So you have to wear many hats. And my daughter's in public school. We talk about this all the time because there are different levels kids are at different places. And that must be. That must be a challenge. I'll use a polite word. That must be a challenge. I mean, what I was gonna say is that must be hard.
- [11:13]
Brooke Lagler
I think hard, difficult, like exhausting. There's so many words that I could use to describe it.
- [11:20]
Gloria Rivera
Yeah.
- [11:21]
Brooke Lagler
Because, I mean, I have children in my classroom who at the beginning of the year, couldn't recognize any letters or letter sounds. And I'm supposed to prepare these children to read by third grade like they should be reading when they leave my class.
- [11:35]
Gloria Rivera
Wow.
- [11:35]
Brooke Lagler
Going into third grade, reading fluently. And so how do I balance that? There's a lot of considerations we have to think about. Like these children were learning how to read through a pandemic. And there are lots of other moving parts in terms of that, but it can just be really exhausting. When I say I have 27 individual independent learners in my classroom. I have 27 independent individual learners in my classroom.
- [12:08]
Gloria Rivera
Yeah, yeah, I hear what you're saying. And fair to say you feel that pressure in your own classroom. Yeah. You're shaking your head.
- [12:18]
Brooke Lagler
I think for me, the motto is always growth. Right. I always want to see my students grow. It may not necessarily be, you know, you don't recognize your letters and now you're a fluent reader. But it may be you didn't recognize your letters and your letter sounds and now you can recognize 40 sight words, right? Without any help from the teacher. You can say them by yourself, you can read them, you can write them fluently. That is growth. And so that is always what I'm looking for.
- [12:54]
Gloria Rivera
All of this is solvable. We already know what works to help kids be prepared to thrive in kindergarten. Instead of giving kids one year of by the numbers preschool, give them five years of high quality instruction and then give elementary school teachers like Angela the resources they need. Small class sizes and plenty of support to help students with special needs or those who are falling behind. When we come back, we'll take a closer look at why that's not happening.
- [13:31]
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Hey Julia, Louis Dreyfus here. If you listen to me on my Wiser Than Me podcast, you probably already know that I'm an investor and an evangelist for the Mill Food Recycler. There are a lot of reasons to love mill, but for me it's all about the impact. Keeping food out of the garbage is one of the most powerful things we can do to help the planet every single day. We're talking banana peels, carrot tops, old takeout. When that stuff heads to the landfill, it becomes a huge driver of climate change. If you already compost, great. But of course there's the smell, the flies, the running to the curb every day with a little leaking compost bag made of cornstarch. That's where mill comes in. It makes keeping food out of the trash as easy as dropping it in. It can handle nearly anything from a turkey carcass to like 20 avocado pits. It works automatically while you sleep. You can keep filling it for weeks and it never ever smells. Mill makes dry, nutrient rich grounds that you can use in your garden, add to your compost feed to your chickens. Or mill can get them back to a small farm for you, but you kind of have to live with mill to really get it. And that's why they offer a risk free trial. Go to mill.com wiser for an exclusive offer.
- [14:46]
Tony Evers
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report.
- [15:19]
Gloria Rivera
Welcome back. So in Wisconsin, as in many states, school districts are funded by a combination of state funding and local property taxes. Milwaukee is in a tough spot. There are high rates of poverty, so local property taxes are low. And the Wisconsin State legislature isn't willing to invest the money it would take to fully the district. So whether it's 4K or K12, there just isn't enough money to go around. Here's Angela again.
- [15:52]
Brooke Lagler
Children who have K3 and K4 have improved academic outcomes. And if we are a district that is struggling with academic outcomes and academic disparities specifically, and we know access to this thing is going to help improve this, that's value.
- [16:09]
Gloria Rivera
Yeah, I mean, I'm like, we know what works, right? We have the answer. And yet there's this resistance, unfortunately from people who are in decision making or decision influencing positions that's stopping the school district from getting to where it needs to be. I just, I don't get it and it makes me angry. And that's maybe another reason I shouldn't be a teacher, because I just, I struggle to understand how we struggle to solve a problem we know how to solve.
- [16:43]
Brooke Lagler
I also, I also have that same struggle. So you are not even as a teacher, I have that exact same struggle.
- [16:51]
Gloria Rivera
When you hear Angela talk about the lack of funding for the school district, it's easy to assume that things are like this because the state just doesn't have the money to help the district out. But here's what's wild. Wisconsin has a historic budget surplus right now to the tune of $3 billion. For context, that's close to twice the yearly budget for Milwaukee Public Schools. And there are people who want to spend a lot of that money on education. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has been a huge proponent of increasing education spending, but he's boxed in by a legislature that wants to spend all of that money on tax cuts. Angela and her colleagues are doing incredible work every day in the classroom, but they keep being forced to do more with less. Milwaukee Public Schools is cutting 288 staff positions this year, despite the state's budget surplus. Imagine if the legislature invested in them and they could actually add some sorely needed staff. Imagine if they decided to pass another groundbreaking bill like they did in 1984, not just making their 4K program universal, but making it the best one in the country. Imagine if they went even further, adding universal 3k 2k, 1k 0k, and then trusted experts like Angela to build those programs out that is the future I want to live in.
- [18:37]
Brooke Lagler
I am always, always, always going to reference Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right? If we meet those basic needs, then we can get to those higher levels on that pyramid. And that means not waiting until they're in first grade or second grade or third grade or middle school. That means starting when they are ready to enter into that educational experience. So I would say for me, in a perfect world, school would look like six weeks to 18 years old. And we have a fully immersive educational system for our youngest learners all the way up into our. Our oldest learners. For me, that's what education should look like.
- [19:20]
Gloria Rivera
Those kids in your classroom, Angela, they won the teacher lottery. They really did.
- [19:25]
Brooke Lagler
Aw, I appreciate that.
- [19:27]
Gloria Rivera
I mean, I appreciate you and what you're bringing to all those kids.
- [19:31]
Brooke Lagler
Thank you so much, Gloria. It's so funny. I just had my last group of tools that I worked with, just graduated from high school, and one of my parents was sharing a story. Cause I was just like, oh my God, I can't believe this. Time has moved so fast. And one of my parents was sharing a story about how her daughter still remembers a song that I sang to her when she was in my two year old class. So yes, I.
- [19:59]
Gloria Rivera
In your two year old class?
- [20:01]
Brooke Lagler
Yes. So it was a little song that we would do in class and it goes like this. Open, shut them, open, shut them. Give a little clap, clap, clap Open, shut them, open, shut them, lay them in your lap, lap, lap Creep them, creep them, creep them, creep them right up to your chin, chin, chin Open wide your little mouth but do not let them in.
- [20:35]
Gloria Rivera
Yay. That was riveting. When we come back, we're going to take a look at how Wisconsin's lack of investment in early education is affecting a small town about two hours to the west of Milwaukee. That's after the break.
- [20:56]
Tony Evers
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. So join Teach for America, a bold group of change makers working to ensure all kids get the education they need to succeed. And Ripple, a tech company creating greater economic opportunity through transformative crypto and blockchain enterprise solutions in celebrating teachers. Because teachers don't just impact what children learn. It's the little things teachers do every day that create a chain of possibilities that go far beyond the classroom. That's the TFA Ripple effect. And we can't thank teachers enough. So celebrate that teacher who juggles lessons, laughter, and lost homework. When you donate to Teach for America today, Ripple will partner to match your gift. Visit teachforamerica.org/r, I, P, P L E to give. Because for our teachers, a little thanks can add up to a lot.
- [21:50]
Angela Harris
Want a sneak preview of hot new audiobooks? Then check out yout Next Listen, a new podcast from Lemonada Media and Simon and Schuster Audio. We've got everything. The hottest new thrillers, best selling celebrity memoirs and swoony romances. And these aren't tiny clips either. They're entire chapters you can listen to. Your next listen is out November 11th, wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:20]
Gloria Rivera
First of all, Brooke, thank you so much for joining us.
- [22:23]
G
Thank you for having me.
- [22:25]
Gloria Rivera
Brooke Lagler runs the Growing Tree, a childcare center in New Glarus, Wisconsin. 2,266. Now, if you live anywhere between Cleveland and Missoula, you probably already know New Glarus makes the best beer in the Midwest. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of their childcare system.
- [22:48]
G
When I moved back to my hometown, I struggled finding childcare for my two young daughters at that time. So looking around, I checked to see the feasibility of, you know, starting a program then so that my daughters had a place that I felt I would be comfortable with and have access to.
- [23:08]
Gloria Rivera
Ten years ago, when Brooke realized the right childcare program for her family didn't exist, she decided to start one with her brother. But as she worked to get it off the ground, it became clear why New Glarus had such limited options for childcare. Banks knew that running a childcare center meant operating with very thin margins and little profit. So they didn't want to give Brooke and her brother a loan. They had to put up the brother's house as collateral to get the money.
- [23:39]
G
Then once we got into it, I was like, oh, I see. These teachers need to make more. Like this isn't working. These children need more. And trying to access those resources for these children, I just hit a wall every time. You know, I went into it very naive, thinking we had programs in place for children, especially children with disabilities or additional needs, and we absolutely do not.
- [24:04]
Gloria Rivera
There is a long wait list at the Growing Tree. Brooke can't even find enough teachers to fill all of her classrooms. It sounds immensely frustrating, but Brooke just can't afford to pay people enough to attract the right candidates.
- [24:20]
G
Who wants to work in an environment where you are not getting paid what you deserve to be paid? We're at the bottom 2% of income earners and we lack benefits. So it's not a place where you can work and support yourself, let alone a family. So it's difficult to find teachers and it is a high stress position. I mean, these are children. These are high emotions that we have. We feel for these children. We want the best for them, and it's a fast burnout. All my teachers, with the exception of one, have children in our program, too, which is how I get teachers, basically, is because they get childcare then. And I anticipate, I fully expect them to leave once their children are of age because I can go anyplace else and make more.
- [25:16]
Gloria Rivera
Even with limited resources. Though Brooke is running a full service childcare center, not only do they take care of kids too young for 4k, they also handle before and after school care for school aged children, and they have resources for kids with special needs.
- [25:33]
G
I have several children in our program with disabilities, and we're kind of a unique program where we offer behavioral support in house from an outside agency that comes in, which is kind of unheard of. So we have access to that, and I have children that utilize that full time.
- [25:54]
Gloria Rivera
Things have been hard since Brooke and her brother started the growing tree, but they got even more difficult during the pandemic. A program called child care counts, funded by the American rescue plan, helped the center stay open. But the legislature is refusing to make those subsidies permanent, and the last of the money is set to dry up next June.
- [26:15]
G
That program had basically stopped the bleeding because we've been declining as an industry for decades. And when child care counts hit, we stabilized for once in, like 20 years. We weren't losing childcare providers. They weren't closing their door. And when.
- [26:34]
Gloria Rivera
Let me just hop in there for a second. When child care counts, when you got the information about what funds would be coming in, was that number, you know, a number that you said, oh, my gosh, this will solve everything. Was it that high?
- [26:48]
G
No, it's a stabilization. It was to keep our doors open. And that's it. I mean, before childcare counts, the average teacher wage in Wisconsin was $11. We're up to $13 an hour. That still is, you know, pitiful. That still is not what those teachers need for the jobs that they do.
- [27:07]
Gloria Rivera
Brooke isn't taking this crisis lying down. During the pandemic, Brooke and her friend Corinne Hendrickson started an organization called we can. We can is an acronym. It stands for Wisconsin early childhood action needed. They're a grassroots network of teachers and childcare workers pushing for more funding at the state legislature.
- [27:28]
G
And we both would meet at the park, and we both had children with disabilities that we were struggling, like, okay, I need support. Like, where are you trying? What are you? Like, Is it, Are you getting anywhere? And we just kind of forged together trying to access resources for children with those additional needs when they're in childcare, because we have really nothing available to us. Once a child is three, they are turned over then to your local school district. And that's where the iep, the individual education plan is created. And again, child care does not need to be involved. There is no requirement. Like, oh, if this child is spending, you know, 50 hours a week with this program, you should probably like, include them at the table. We are often not at the table. We are not asked, we are not included. And that's a detriment because a lot of districts, a lot of schools often take on, in my experience, the mindset, let's wait till they get in the building. It's like, no, then you're missing early intervention. This child is non verbal. Let's work on that. Why do you want to wait a couple years and see how they do? And then it's harder for that child and more costly for you. But that's what we do. And again, I believe this goes back to the schools not having the funding again, and people need to see that and call it for what it is.
- [28:57]
Gloria Rivera
Brooke spends a lot of time at the state capitol organizing to try and get early childcare providers the resources they need. And that's on top of being a mother and a child care center owner herself. I honestly don't know how she finds the time, but she cares so deeply about the kids in her care that she feels like she has to fight for them.
- [29:21]
G
I don't know if the general public understands, like, how invested we can be in these children. We do love these children. I mean, a lot of them I've had since they were infants and I've watched them grow. And they are so important. And I fight because I don't think that I could go to work not feeling like I am fighting for them. And I don't think I could face them if I didn't feel like I was at least trying.
- [29:53]
Gloria Rivera
If the legislature doesn't pass a serious funding package before next June, the Growing Tree and other childcare providers are going to be in an even deeper crisis. Some of them will likely have to close, which means that more kids won't be ready for 4K and kindergarten and that elementary school teachers like Angela will have an even harder job. Wisconsin seized on a major opportunity back in 1984 when they created their public preschool program. It was the first state in the country to say, you know, our kids deserve better than they're getting, and we're willing to invest in them. But since then, decades of indifference and inaction have resulted in Wisconsin becoming one of the most challenging places in the country to raise a family. Brooke and we can are going to fight as long as they can, as hard as they can to make things right.
- [30:58]
G
I couldn't imagine, like, 10 years ago, like, calling out a senator and being like, hey, why are you lying? Like, why are you doing this? That's not okay. You're offensive to me right now. Stop. I couldn't imagine doing that, but I'm doing it now. And others have started to do it, too, in my field, and that's empowering as well, and that helps keep me going. Knowing that others are starting to speak out, they're starting to understand. And, you know, we'll send clips of their representatives in their areas and be like, does this align with your values? Did you know that they're saying that? And they're like, no, I. But I voted for them. I'm like, well, are you going to vote next time around? Nope. Reconsider bringing that awareness, because I think so many people don't realize their vote actually matters. Their voice does matter. And to speak out is what we have to do.
- [31:49]
Gloria Rivera
We do need to speak out. Hell, we need to do much more than that. Scream, cry, protest, fight. We need to do whatever it takes for our little ones. I've been thinking a lot about the fight for them this season. It looks different everywhere you go. It's Jorge the economist, showing us that quality child care doesn't cost us. It's an investment in our future. It's Grace, the child care center director, who sees the kids in her care and knows how to get them the help they need. It's Caitlin, who fought her way out of homelessness while pregnant so that her little girl can grow up with a chance at a better life. It's Dr. Lisa teaching us that climate change directly impacts a child's school day and their chance at a breath of fresh air. It's you, it's me. It's all of us. We are the fight in a hundred thousand different ways, in a hundred thousand different communities. What I want to tell you now is what I continue to tell myself. It doesn't have to be this way. No one is coming to save us. But working together, we can save ourselves. There's more. No one is coming to save us. With Lemonada, premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content like. Like, unheard clips from our interviews. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts no One Is Coming to Save Us As a Lemonada original produced with Neighborhood Villages, I'm your host Gloria Rivera. Crystal Genesis is our senior producer. Tony Williams and Tiffany Bowie are our producers. Tony Williams, Johnny, Vince Evans and Bobby Woody are our audio engineers. Our music is by Hannis Brown. Jackie Danziger is our VP of Narrative Content. Executive producers are Stephanie Whittles Wax and Jessica Cordova Kramer, along with me, Gloria Rivera. The series is presented by Imaginable Futures, the Jay Willard and Alice S. Marriott foundation, the Baynham Family foundation, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. If you like the show and you believe what we're doing is important, please help others find us by leaving us a rating and writing a review. And most importantly, tell your friends. Follow no One Is Coming to Save Us Wherever you get your podcasts or listen ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. Thanks for listening. Hang in there. You can do this.
- [34:51]
Tony Evers
It's Teacher Appreciation Week, so join Teach for America, a group of change makers working toward educational excellence for all kids, and Ripple, a tech company creating greater economic opportunity through transformative crypto and blockchain enterprise solutions. In celebrating teachers for the little things they do that create possibilities that go far beyond the classroom, you can celebrate your favorite teachers with a gift that helps them create their biggest ripple effect for America's kids. Give today@teachforamerica.org ripple and ripple will partner to match your gift.
- [35:27]
Reshma Sajani
Hey, I'm Reshma Sajani, founder of Girls who Code and Moms First. I consider myself a pretty successful adult woman, so why is it that in midlife as I'm about to turn 50, I feel so stuck? Join me as I try to find the answer on my so called Midlife from Lemonada Media. I talk to experts and extraordinary guests about divorce, exercise, menopause, sex, drugs, and more to understand what we're going through and how to make the most of it. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.