Review your peers’ posts regarding their specific state and share your thoughts and reactions to the information they found. Please be sure to respond to classmates that do not live in your state. Be sure to also add some suggestions regarding the policies that may be helpful for Mr. Velez. 

• I live in the state of Wisconsin
• Our state’s minimum wage is 7.25
• As the current federal minimum wage is 7.2. Wisconsin is the same amount as the federal minimum wage.

As the state of Wisconsin minimum wage is $7.25 and Mr. Velez would be making 15, 080.00 per year. Mr. Velez is below the federal poverty line with his weekly income. In Wisconsin, a family of three below the poverty line is a yearly income of $24,860 and Mr. Velez is making below that amount.  Unfortunately with the cost of childcare and Mr. Velez’s salary, he would not be able to afford daycare. To send two children under the age of four in Wisconsin would cost him $1,047 per month for his infant and $850.00 each month for his four-year-old. Wisconsin is ranked the 20th out of 50th states as the most expensive for infant care.  Many different programs in the state of Wisconsin can Mr. Velez make ends meet.  Mr. Velez’s son could participate in one of the head start programs in our local schools. It’s a school program for children between the ages of three and five that can participate in educational activities and are served healthy meals or snacks.  Another program that Wisconsin offers is the Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Program. It helps parents find affordable quality child care and helps cover a portion of their monthly child care costs.  A great resource is our Energy Company called Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program this program is for low-income families who are unable to pay for their heating or electric bill. One thing that is nice about this program as I have referred clients to it is if a low-income family cannot pay their electric bill they will help set up a payment plan and their heat will not be turned off in the winter. Lastly, I would make sure Mr. Velez is set up with Snap our Food share program. The one thing I would remind Mr. Velez is that he is doing the best he can in a time of recession and the cost of living is high and the cost of food is high but he is still providing the basic needs for his children..

2. 

• I live in Connecticut.
• CT's minimum wage is $14 and will increase to $15 on June 1, 2023.
• My state's minimum wage is significantly more than the current federal minimum. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.65.   

Mr. Velez is considered below the poverty line in the state of CT because his weekly income is $560, which is $598 (CT federal poverty level chart, 2023). Mr. Velez can not afford childcare on a minimum wage pay scale for two children. I recommend that Mr. Velez get a childcare subsidy to help him pay most of his childcare payments. He pays a fee that he can afford through the department of social services and Care 4 Kids, a program that helps low-income families pay their r childcare expenses so they can buy other necessities and pay bills.