Governor Doyle has proposed his state budget and it is now being reviewed by the Joint Finance Committee. In order to make sure that all of Wisconsin’s young children get a “Great Start,” we need YOU to help us send a message to the Joint Finance members letting them know how important high-quality early childhood education is.

The committee will be holding public hearings in 7 areas across the state. If you live in or near one of these sites, please consider attending. You can comment on the state budget by signing in support for adequate early education funding, giving a 3 minute (or less) testimonial/speech, or providing written comments to the committee. For those willing to speak, there will be a WECA staff person at each event to provide support. Also, if you’re planning to speak or provide written comments, we can send you some information to include and some general information about the hearings themselves.

Here are the hearing dates and locations. All are held from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, with the exception of March 28 in Ashland:

• Monday, March 23: Sparta. American Legion Hall, 1116 Angelo Road.
• Wed, March 25: West Allis. State Fair Park, Banquet Rm 2, 640 S 84th St.
• Fri, March 27: Eau Claire. UW-Eau Claire Haas Fine Arts Center, 121 Water St.
• Saturday, March 28: Ashland. Ashland High School Auditorium at 9:00.
• Monday, March 30. Racine. Case High School Theater. 7345 Washington Ave.
• Wed, April 1. Appleton. Lawrence University Stansbury Theater, Music Drama Center 420 E College Ave.
• Fri, April 3. Cambridge. Amundson Community Center, 200 Spring St.