Kids Forward

Say it with us: this👏🏽is👏🏽how👏🏽structural👏🏽racism👏🏽works.

When you walk over the border into Minnesota or Illinois, you don't see these kinds of gaps between Black and white children.

Over decades, Wisconsin has passed public policies that have disproportionately harmed Black children: disinvestment, housing segregation, and barriers to economic opportunity.

Full report here: https://kidsforward.org/wisconsins-affordability-crisis-racial-inequities-hurt-kids-families/

We've got a few new faces around here so we wanted to re-introduce ourselves! 😍

We believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive.

At Kids Forward, we’re working toward a Wisconsin where:

💡 families can afford health care
💡 child care doesn’t consume an entire paycheck
💡 work pays enough to support a household
💡 communities invest in young people with care and dignity
💡 decision makers address the real challenges families face instead of blaming immigrants

But real change takes time. One recent win — extending postpartum Medicaid coverage in Wisconsin — took ‼️SEVEN YEARS️‼️of advocacy, research, coalition-building, and persistence.

That work is only possible because of community support like yours.

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Last week, the Governor’s problematic surplus deal was blocked in the Senate.

Let's be clear: there’s no doubt our schools need more funding. Parents, teachers, and students across Wisconsin are exhausted from the effects of years of underfunding. Special education funding especially has fallen far behind what schools actually need.

That is real. And families are frustrated for good reason.

But this deal would not have solved the problem. Here's 3 reasons why: https://kidsforward.org/wisconsins-surplus-deal-didnt-pass-the-test/

A surplus alone will never solve the bigger issue. Wisconsin families need lasting solutions: affordable child care, strong public schools, stable housing, accessible health care, and wages that actually keep up with rising costs.

An affordable, livable Wisconsin is actually possible if we focus on the root causes of how we got here: the wealthy few have not paid their fair share in taxes.

When we come together, reject division, and demand a system that works for all of us, communities can finally have the resources they need to thrive.

Thank you to the legislators on both sides of the aisle that voted against this.

Earlier today, Governor Evers and Republicans in the state legislature announced a spending package that passes the responsibility, and blame, onto future legislators. We oppose it because it drains our state surplus to gain short-term political points while creating long-term budget problems for future generations.

A one-time check won’t lower the cost of child care, housing, groceries, or health care over time. Wisconsinites are tired of political gimmicks disguised as relief. If we truly want life to be more affordable for everyday families, we need long-term solutions that ask the wealthiest few to finally pay their fair share.

Families need leaders willing to solve problems for the long term, not politicians looking for a short-term headline before walking away from the mess.