Madison Lammert covers child care and early childhood education across Wisconsin for the Post-Crescent, which is based in Appleton, Wisconsin and part of the USA Today network. Previously, she reported for the Republic-Times, the only local news source dedicated to Monroe County, Illinois. Lammert graduated summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications, and was editor-in-chief of the student paper, The Alestle, which won multiple Illinois College Press Association awards under her leadership. Lammert’s photos of a Black Lives Matter protest took home a College Media Association Pinnacle Award.
Beat: Childcare crisis in Wisconsin
Parents are challenged to find child care in Wisconsin and when they do, the average family spends 30 percent of its income on child care for two children. Add to that: COVID forced many women out of jobs to care for their children, and with fewer child care options and changes to learning during the pandemic (such as virtual learning), young children's learning and development suffered setbacks, according to a University of Michigan study. This beat covers affordable and accessible child care, and programs like preschool and Head Start. Investigate, analyze, and provide parents with essential information.