State Funding for Car Seats Restored After Months-Long Delay

Nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin can now access grants to provide car seats to families in need.

Published on Feb. 4, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Grant funding to purchase car seats for families in need has been restored in Wisconsin after a months-long delay. The Center for Childhood Safety in Ashwaubenon and the Oconto County Public Health's Safe Kids program both rely on this state funding to give away and install hundreds of car seats annually. While the Center for Childhood Safety has now received approval for its 2026 grant, Oconto County officials are still waiting to hear about the status of their long-standing grant.

Why it matters

Access to proper child car seats is crucial for ensuring the safety of young children during transportation, but can be a financial burden for low-income families. These nonprofit organizations play a vital role in the community by providing free car seats and installation services to those in need.

The details

The Center for Childhood Safety in Ashwaubenon typically gives away at least 120 car seats per year and installs hundreds more to ensure kids are safely transported. Oconto County Public Health's Safe Kids program does similar work. The funding for these initiatives comes from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation through a Bureau of Transportation grant. After the grant was originally supposed to be available in October, it was pushed back to January before finally being approved late last week.

  • The grant funding was originally supposed to be available in October 2025.
  • The grant funding was then pushed back to January 2026.
  • The Center for Childhood Safety received approval for its 2026 grant late on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

The players

Center for Childhood Safety

A nonprofit organization in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin that provides free car seats and installation services to families in need.

Oconto County Public Health

A county health department in Wisconsin that runs the Safe Kids program, which also provides free car seats and installation to families.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation

The state agency that provides grant funding through its Bureau of Transportation to support car seat distribution and installation programs.

Marissa Heim

The Development Manager at Golden House, an organization that refers clients to the Center for Childhood Safety.

Mary Rosner

The Oconto County Safe Kids Coordinator.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It's super important for our residents to have a safe, reliable means of transportation for their children. And again, we rely on the Center for Childhood Safety to provide that. We're not the trained experts at Golden House, but they are.”

— Marissa Heim, Development Manager, Golden House (wixx.com)

“We've had this grant for over 20 years. We're really concerned that this pot of money that does such great things in our community will be gone. And how are we going to meet this need that is a demonstrated need in our community.”

— Mary Rosner, Oconto County Safe Kids Coordinator (wixx.com)

What’s next

Oconto County officials are still waiting to hear from the state about the status of their long-standing car seat grant funding.

The takeaway

This delay in critical state funding highlights the importance of these nonprofit organizations in providing essential child safety resources to low-income families. Community support through monetary donations will be crucial if the grant funding is not restored.