LaMovida Radio’s Conectando con tu Ciudad Shares Valuable Information about City of Madison Resources

Enoch Melgarejo, Spanish Community Connector with the City of Madison Department of Civil Rights, hosts “Conectando con tu Ciudad” on LaMovida Radio. In this monthly show, Enoch interviews City staff to share City programs with the Spanish Speaking community. Recent programs include:  

City of Madison Child Care Accreditation  

A recent edition of Conectando con tu Ciudad featured Elisa Martinez, Spanish Bilingual Child Care Program Specialist with the City of Madison’s Community Development Division (CDD), which is proudly celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Elisa highlighted the City’s Accreditation Process, focusing on quality standards, the Pathways Grant, and how accreditation helps bilingual childcare providers access critical resources, funding opportunities, and 4K programming. 

The show also welcomed Erika Soto, Director of Pequeños Traviesos—the first bilingual program accredited in Madison—and classroom teacher Nitza Ocampo, who shared their personal journeys in the childcare field. Their story demonstrated how accreditation has expanded educational opportunities for children and strengthened program quality. Gabriela Albarran, Director of Greenway Crossing Montessori, spoke about her decision to pursue accreditation and the benefits she anticipates for her program and families. 

Since the broadcast, The Child Care Unit has seen a measurable increase in interest, with several bilingual childcare directors reaching out for information and two new accreditation applications submitted. “It’s exciting to see the community respond so positively,” said Elisa. “We’re committed to supporting providers every step of the way as they pursue high-quality, culturally responsive care.” 

The Child Care Accreditation team looks forward to hosting information sessions in the coming months to continue expanding access and awareness. 

For more information or to apply for accreditation, visit the City of Madison Child Care Accreditation website or contact our team at (608) 266-6264.  

Madison Water Utility 

Marcus Pearson, Public Information Officer, joined Conectando con tu Ciudad to highlight some of the City’s Water Utility programs.  

The MadCAP Program assists income-eligible households by providing up to a $30 monthly credit on their Municipal Services Bill. The MadCAP program credit spreads across all municipal services including water, sewer, stormwater, and more. The credit is automatically applied monthly to customer bills and doesn’t need to be repaid.  

Find more info and the application form on the program website to see if you qualify!  

Marcus also highlighted the City’s Toilet Rebate Program. Water Utility customers can get a bill credit of up to $100 by replacing high water usage toilets with high efficiency models. This helps save water too!  

Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment (RaISE) 

The March 18 edition of Conectando con tu Ciudad radio show featured Jesus Sanchez-Cruz, Affirmative Action Specialist with the Department of Civil Rights.  

Jesus and Enoch talked about the Referrals and Interviews for Sustainable Employment (RaISE). The program helps job seekers and employers alike. Participants seeking employment are guaranteed an interview with program participants, if they meet the program criteria. The interview is that first step towards employment and can sometimes be hard to attain.  

You can find the program on LaMovida’s Facebook page.  

For more information, see RaISE website. RaISE is also featured in the Department of Civil Rights Newsletter.