Mel and Michael Ohlinger left their corporate jobs after struggling to juggle taking care of their newborn baby and both of them having to work.
Feeling like they had no support from their employers and lacking resources and support from the state government, the Ohlingers decided to leave everything they knew behind and start their own small business: a successful car wash marketing agency in Neenah, Wisconsin called OhmCo.
But when the Ohlingers decided to start their small business and leave their corporate lives behind, they still struggled to find affordable child care for their young children as many small business owners can relate to across Wisconsin.
To channel their discontent, the Ohlingers joined 70 other small business owners and families to attend a rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol Building on Tuesday.
Along with members of 9to5 Wisconsin, Main Street Alliance (MSA), Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN) and Motherhood For Good, they met with over 50 lawmakers, including Gov. Tony Evers, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and State Treasurer John Leiber, to discuss childcare support and upcoming budget spending plans.
Advocates spoke on inadequate paid family leave, the expansion of Medicaid for postpartum parents and ways to make running a small business easier and more profitable for working families.
Over half of Wisconsin is in a child care desert, and for every open child care slot available in a community, there are three or more children who need it, according to a report by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association. In addition, the average two-income household is spending 17% of their income on child care for one child.
To kick off the event, Godlewski led a discussion on the current state of raising a family in Wisconsin, noting the lack of funding allocated to postpartum Medicaid and the pressure on new parents to return to work. She opened the floor to the small business owners and families, like the Ohlingers, to share their personal stories.
“Advocacy matters,” Godlewski said. “Advocacy is what actually allows our legislators to really understand what they need to do and why… I think what works is always when you honestly share your stories and make it real. In Wisconsin, when you’re only winning things by a few votes, whether it is a bill or your next legislator, everything really does matter.”
Sam Kassel and Alex Ogden own a frozen custard and grill spot in Milwaukee and are members of Main Street Alliance. They explained how a lack of child care impacts their small businesses' employees.
"There are a lot of people who would like to return to work, but it's just very difficult for them to find the balance with childcare," Ogden said.
Kassel explained how an expansion on child care in Wisconsin would benefit their business.
"When it comes to what we can pay, it is a little harder. So having those kinds of benefits that you can offer to people will really allow folks to consider working for a smaller business and help us to be more successful,” Kassel said.
In an interview with The Daily Cardinal, Brooke Legler, an MSA member and co-founder of WECAN, emphasized the importance of this issue in the United States and talked about what she wanted people to take away from this event.
Although support for children and family matters is a widely held value in both the Republican and Democratic parties, Republicans in Wisconsin have historically voted against legislation promoting better child care, Legler said.
“That’s why it's important. Those early years are critical years. And we, as a state, provide zero [support] for that,” Legler said. “When we don’t take care of our kids, we pay for it tenfold. Children that experience early quality child care are more likely to graduate high school, more likely to go to college, more likely to be higher earners, more likely to be healthy and happy.”
Organizations like MSA and WECAN rely on members to put on events like this. They give people like Legler and the Ohlingers an opportunity to share their stories and make their voices heard.
“Even if you don’t know anything about it, just sign up,” Mel Ohlinger said. “Even if you are nervous or don’t have a lot of time, just having your name on their list makes them stronger.”
