On Monday Aug. 15 U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin visited the Richland Center area to meet with local officials to learn more about the use of the American Rescue Plan funds that were ear marked for expanding access to childcare. Through this America Rescue Act Funding, which was supported by Baldwin, Richland County received $3.3 million dollars and set a goal to allocate 10 percent of it to address the child care shortage. During her visit, Sen. Baldwin visited Coppertop Family Daycare, which received $43,000 to expand the number of children they serve from three to eight as well as touring the former Rockbridge Elementary School, which is being converted to a early childhood education center for up to 50 children by Bethlehem Lutheran Academy using $116,220 in the American Rescue Plan funds. “I voted for the American Rescue Plan because it has supported working during the pandemic and has been a lifeline for so many people across our state. Governor Evers has been a real leader in making sure these federal funds are delivered at the local level – and here in Richland County, they are using ARPA funds to address the child care shortage. Working families in Wisconsin face rising costs and for many families, finding affordable child care has been a major barrier to re-entering the workforce. I’m proud to have worked with Governor Evers and local communities in a partnership to help meet the needs of working families here in Richland County,” Sen. Baldwin said of the visit.