Wisconsin law requiring licensing of day care centers was first enacted in 1949 and the first licensing rules for group centers and nurseries were approved by the Board of Public Welfare. During the first year, 20 centers serving 279 children were licensed. By 1956, the number of licensed centers increased to 45 serving 1,300 children. By 1968, more than 350 licenses were issued to centers serving over 12,000 children.

Wisconsin has seen a substantial increase in licensed child care capacity, increasing the estimated number of children served in licensed child care centers in 2001 to over 186,000 children, nearly tripled from 1988 when the estimated capacity was 62,307.