Who was Rosie Baker?

If you’ve been involved in the child care field for a long time, you know the answer. If you are a newer administrator, you may have never had the pleasure of meeting her. Rosemary Troia Baker, or Rosie, as many knew her better, was a life-long advocate for some of our state’s smallest citizens.

Rosie Baker devoted her career to children and families through a variety of avenues. Her history of community involvement is long and diverse. Among the groups Rosie assisted : Employment and Training Association, United Neighborhood’s South Madison Neighborhood Center, City of Madison Planning District Committee, Dane County Nutrition Council, Dane County Head Start, Madison Mayor’s Task Force on Human Services, Rotary, United Way, the National Association of Child Care Professionals, WECA, WCCAA, and the 4 C’s.

Rosie retired from her position as Executive Director of Child Development Inc. in 1997. Both before and after her retirement, Rosie devoted much time and expertise to our organization. Rosie strongly believed that administrators need a support group of fellow professionals to maximize their potential in their own jobs. The Rosie Baker Scholarship Fund, which WCCAA now operates as a means for administrators to obtain continuing training, had it’s beginnings in “Rosie’s Raffles.” Rosie never missed an opportunity to fund raise for a good cause, and our scholarship fund now stands as a tribute to her dream.

Until her later years when health issues forced her to step back, Rosie spent many hours manning registration tables at our state conference. Participants could always count on a warm welcome from Rosie.