The Child Care Task Force is proud to be one of the first Task Forces created by the Wisconsin Women’s Network in 1980 by a group of local and statewide organizations and individuals committed to quality early education and care, family and group child care providers who recognized that affordable, accessible and high quality child care must be available for all families. The task force is guided by the mission – “Achieve quality child care for all families who need it, at a price they can afford”.

Over the last twenty-two years, the Task Force has been instrumental in highlighting child care as a vitally important economic development, child and family development issue. In addition to the increased investment in Wisconsin Shares, and funding the T.E.A.C.H Early Childhood ® WISCONSIN scholarship and bonus program and R.E.W.A.R.D. ™ WISCONSIN stipend program, other key legislative successes to date include:

• In 1985, the Wisconsin Women's Network, with sponsorship of Representative Metz, achieved child care as a mandated service for each county to fund through Community Aids along with an addition of $1.5 million for Community Aids Child Care and for 6 new licensing positions. Unfortunately that year the Governor and Legislature repealed the Wisconsin State Child Care Tax Credit which had been established two years earlier with bi-partisan support led by Rep. Mary Panzer (now Senator Panzer).
• In 1991, Wisconsin Acts 39 and 275, developed by Wisconsin Women's Network with Representative Gruszinski and Senator Darling, put into statute Wisconsin's plan for Federal Child Care and Development Block Grant, including direct service dollars amended to Community Aids, creating Child Care Resource and Referral services statewide, providing quality improvement and child care expansion funds.
• In 1997 waiting lists for Wisconsin Works (W-2) child care (now called Wisconsin Shares) were eliminated.