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Dream Up! Lincoln County
We are a coalition of regional community leaders and advocates working to address the child care crisis throughout Lincoln County, WI.
Our mission is to make Lincoln County, Wisconsin a Family Friendly place to live, work, and thrive by supporting early childhood education and youth initiatives.
Our Projects
Working Families Infrastructure Initiative
The Dream Up! Lincoln County Working Families Infrastructure Initiative is a regional workforce project designed to remove one of the most significant barriers to employment in rural Central Wisconsin: the shortage of childcare availability. The project directly supports increased labor force participation and regional economic growth by strengthening the childcare workforce pipeline, expanding provider capacity, and improving coordination between employers and working families. The project is a coordinated effort in response to the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission's 2025 Lincoln County Child Care Assessment consisting of three separate projects administered by Childcaring, Inc. and 3CWI, with support from our Dream Up! Members. Together, we offer the support our families need to live, work, and thrive in Lincoln County. Anticipated Program Launch in 2027
Adopt a Provider
Adopt A Provider was established by the Dream Up! Taskforce in Langlade and Lincoln Counties. This initiative aims to help area child care providers meet their individual needs by giving employers and community members a streamlined and tax deductible way to support!
Questions? Call Childcaring at 715-841-9490,
email info@childcaring.org
Boys & Girls Club of Merrill Expansion
and Armory Redevelopment
Lincoln County Dream Up! Committee supports the expansion of the Boys & Girls Club of Merrill into the idle Armory building located at 106 North Memorial Drive, Merrill. This comprehensive renovation project will increase capacity, expand programming to include 1st graders, create age-appropriate differentiated spaces, and modernize safety and security measures. The initiative will directly support working families, enhance academic outcomes, promote youth workforce readiness, and strengthen the local community.
Lincoln County Child Care Needs & Economic Impact Assessment
A comprehensive child care needs assessment conducted by the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission in partnership with the Lincoln County Dream Up! Committee identifies major variables affecting the child care landscape and economic impact complete with action plans tailored to our community needs.
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BULLETIN BOARD
Dream Up! Lincoln County Meeting
August 25, 2026
9:30am - 10:30am
Lincoln County Economic Development Corporation
1101a N Mills St, Merrill, WI 54452
(The small gray building in front of FreMarq Innovations)
Video Conference: https://meet.google.com/jcb-qvmu-vis
Or dial: (US) +1 414-439-0758 PIN: 882 181 705#
August's Meeting will focus on Member Organization Updates, a recap of our SMART Goals, and planning the Community Child Care Forum scheduled for October
Lincoln County EDC OFFICE ADDRESS: 1101a N Mill Street, Merrill, WI 54452.
*This is the same location as FreMarq Innovations, but the EDC is actually in a small gray concrete office building in FRONT of the FreMarq headquarters, in between the main parking lots. IMPORTANTLY, Google/Apple Maps will take you to the wrong entrance! The directions will tell you to turn onto a dirt “driveway” off of 10th Street – ignore this; it is taking you to the employee/delivery entrance. Instead, keep driving towards Mill Street, then turn north (right) and drive until you reach the parking areas on the right. The building’s entrance is on the side facing away from the road, towards FreMarq. There is no official large sign out front yet, but there is a small one on the door entrance.
DONATE
Funds raised will go towards:
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Community Child Care Forum
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Dream Up! Lincoln County Adopt a Provider
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Outreach materials
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Website costs
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Mailer Campaign
DREAM UP! PLANNING GRANT
Lincoln County was granted $85,000.00 to support current child care providers and initiatives that promote industry stabilization.
Here is a list of what we accomplished!
• Provided $41,000 in retention and sustainability grants to current Lincoln County providers. These funds helped obtain quality and safe equipment providers otherwise couldn’t afford, provided staff bonuses, purchased large motor skills equipment (tricycles), outdoor playground toys and met other essential needs.
• Partnered with Trinity Childcare to support training needs of staff to meet regulations to support obtaining licensure. This will allow greater access to those who receive WI Shares, the state child care assistance.
• Supported both Tomahawk and Merrill Schools who are working toward providing high school students curriculum where students can receive college credit and training towards Early Childhood Education.
• Collaborated with the Chambers of Commerce in Merrill and Tomahawk to provide educational outreach to multiple non-profit organizations and businesses to support increasing childcare capacity. This included sharing information from a locally conducted survey.
• Supported the Lincoln County Health Department in providing a Community Baby Shower that provided care packages and access to community resources that address childcare, child safety and healthy development.
• Partner with Langlade County Dream Up! Team to develop marketing and support for our shared childcare resource agency, Childcaring Inc., who now hosts a landing page for our teams. Childcaring can provide information regarding how to become regulated, funding available to support the process of becoming regulated, information for people looking for childcare, and more.
• Granted $5,000.00 to the Child Care Coalition of Wisconsin (3CWI) in support of their innovative infant care reservation system.
Committee Members
Get Involved!
Phone
715-527-0486
Location
Lincoln County, Wisconsin
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