Wisconsin Shares Suspension

*At suspension unless otherwise noted

Rationale for Reasonable Suspicion of Program Violation:

The Department of Children and Families suspended this child care provider from the Wisconsin Shares program due to a combination of red flags signifying Shares violations. These were identified through quantitative data showing the provider billed for over $11,747 annually per child and was serving two children per licensed slot. The suspension was based upon two no access visits within three weeks, where DCF staff visited Little Jalen’s Learning Academy during the hours of operation and no one appeared to be on the premises and no one answered the door. As the provider billed the Wisconsin Shares program for children being in attendance during the weeks of the no access visits, this is contradictory to the evidence found by the Department’s investigators. The suspension was also based upon the provider’s failure to maintain and submit accurate attendance records as required by the Shares program.

The provider has been cited previously for failing to maintain and submit accurate attendance records as required by the Shares program. In reviewing the provider's attendance records, significant inaccuracies resulting in overbilling for children were identified, the Department established an overpayment of $11,182.31. During four weeks, the provider billed the Wisconsin Shares program for six children from two different families, however the six children were not recorded in attendance during that same period of time. The provider also specified hours to be worked by all three of the provider’s employees, apparently in order to obtain a higher number of authorized hours and payment from the Shares program. The Department’s investigation determined that the employees rarely worked those hours, nor did the children attend their full authorized number of hours, yet the provider was paid the full subsidy amount for the authorized hours.