It seems likely that the cuts that are set to take effect next year when HR1 – or President Trump’s and the Republican Party’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ – is fully implemented are going to place a greater strain on child services and family resource centers.
Everything from reduction in food assistance (FoodShare in Wisconsin); to greater requirements for families to receive it; to Medicaid cuts and expanded work requirements; to the loss of the child tax credit for certain families are likely to further burden low-income families with children who count on such support. All of that will place a greater demand on state and county governments to fill those gaps.
Republicans maintain that HR1 is designed to eliminate waste and fraud in social programs as well as promote fiscal responsibility, but critics point to the nearly $4 trillion tax cut – an estimated 80% of which will go to the top 10% of earners – that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $3.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. They also argue that cuts to the social safety net are coming at the worst time possible: during a slowing economy and rising inflation, thus magnifying the impact on struggling families.
A proclamation of support
It was against this backdrop that the Outagamie County Citizen Review Panel, which includes volunteer community members and professionals who evaluate the effectiveness of local and state child protective services, hosted a public proclamation of Wisconsin Strengthening Families Month outside the new First 5 Fox Valley Family Resource Building on April 17.
The proclamation, read by County Executive Tom Nelson, called on the county and community at large to create safe and thriving environments and support systems for parents and children.
“We do hereby proclaim April 2026 as Strengthening Families Month in our county to support the physical, emotional, social and educational well-being of children and their families,” Nelson said to a gathering of nearly 50 people.
Dr. Barb Tengesdal, Executive Director of First 5 Fox Valley, pointed to the soon-to-open Family Resource Center located in the old Trout Museum in Houdini Plaza as a “bridge that helps a family move from isolation” to community and support. It will be the first such center in Outagamie County and will serve largely as a one-stop clearinghouse for all sorts of resources families need to access and will offer many of those resources on site, including parent education and child enrichment programs.
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Dr. Barb Tengesdal
Dr. Tengesdal pointed to other facilities such as the new public library, the Building for Kids, the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Fox Valley, the Fox Valley Literacy Center and other organizations as part of a hub – soon to be joined by the Family Resource Center – of family support services in the heart of Appleton.
“We want to give families easy access to health care, all of those things, all of those supports,” she said. “You come here and we connect. We make sure that there’s a warm hand out, an easy space to feel like this community loves you, supports you and that you belong. It’s creating a safe place for social connections, and it’s fixing up this beautiful old building in the heart of Appleton.”
A worthwhile investment
Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton), a member of the Committee for Children and Families, had just returned a day earlier from the annual Act 78 hearing presented by the Department of Children and Families that recounts all the cases of child death, neglect and abuse.
“It was a binder about this thick,” Snodgrass said. “We try and learn what we can do as legislators and to help save the jobs of people like you who face this every day and to find out what resources you need to help families.”
Snodgrass argued that Wisconsin must invest now or it will have to pay the price later.
“When we pay later, we pay when we have lost a child,” Snodgrass continued. “We pay when a child is removed from their home and in foster care. We pay when that child is so impacted by trauma that they themselves cannot function fully in society, and unfortunately, we end up with another person in the criminal justice system.
“We have evidence, so much evidence, to show that every investment we make in children and families early pays off.”
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Rep. Lee Snodgrass
Snodgrass pointed to studies that suggest that the return on investment for every dollar spent in early childhood support ranges from $4 to $10.
Kay Kiesling, the Manager of the county Children, Youth and Families Division, said providing the necessary resources can help prevent incidents of child abuse.
“Our next generation, our most vulnerable community members, do not need to carry this burden,” Kiesling said. “We can and will prevent abuse and neglect. So instead of lashing out at our children, let’s lift up our children, support them, nurture them, keep them free so they have every opportunity to become the strong adults they deserve to be.”
Snodgrass added that, while Strengthening Families is mostly focused on prevention of child neglect and abuse, severe federal cuts to programs ripple out to all areas concerning children and families.
“HRI is severely cutting aid that supports families,” Snodgrass said. “FoodShare, childcare, healthcare – core, basic needs for stability. While Strengthening Families month primarily seeks to provide services to prevent abuse and neglect, we know that when families’ basic needs are not met, they are already at risk.”
