We always hear how the first years of a child's life are the most important ones. It is especially important to keep that in mind this week.

To celebrate the “Week of the Young Child,” Governor Doyle has proposed a budget initiative titled “Quality Care for Quality Kids.”

The initiative is now before the joint finance committee. Its aim is to strengthen the quality of child care in Wisconsin.

First Lady Jessica Doyle stresses the importance of learning at a young age. “As a middle school teacher, too often I saw what happened when students had started school already behind in learning. Hard as they worked in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade to catch up, too few were able to make up enough lost ground to graduate from high school with the rest of their class.”

Wisconsin is the 14th state to implement a five–star rating system, giving five stars to providers with the highest level of quality care.

Parents will then be able to use the information to pick the best provider for their children.

The finance committee is expected to vote on the program in April or May.