En Español

YoungStar Logo Search for a YoungStar Provider
Mother and Child

My YoungStar Technical Consultant answered all my questions and made the whole process easier.  The Technical Consultant has been wonderful!

- Kelly Rognholt, family child care provider

Eau Claire, WI

For Providers

Every day, children look to you for learning, nurturing and guidance. We know how hard you work to provide them with high quality child care. That's what YoungStar is all about: making sure that Wisconsin children get the best possible start in life. We want to help you get the most from YoungStar, and help you shine as brightly as the little stars in your care.

Before You Apply

School-Age YoungStar

YoungStar Training

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips and Tools

YoungStar Details

YoungStar Policies

YoungStar and Wisconsin Shares



Find Your Regional Office

Keep your Registry Organizational Profile Updated

The Registry Organizational Profile is a place for programs to store information about education and training.  The information entered into these Organizational Profiles is automatically used to determine programs' Star Rating in YoungStar and reimbursement amounts in Wisconsin Shares.  By signing a YoungStar Contract, programs agree to keep their Organizational Profiles accurate and up-to-date.  Check out the document at the link below for tips on keeping Organizational Profiles updated:

Maintaining Your Registry Organizational Profile English   Spanish

 

Tiered Reimbursement

The goal of YoungStar is to improve the quality of child care and reward high quality providers by:

  • Establishing a 5 Star quality rating system for all child care providers.
  • Paying Wisconsin Shares quality bonuses to 4 Star and 5 Star child care providers.

As of July 1, 2012, all providers who accept Wisconsin Shares subsidy payments are required to participate in YoungStar.

Wisconsin Shares subsidy reimbursement levels are based on the child care provider's star rating in the following manner:

5 Star Provider - Meets highest levels of quality standards.  Wisconsin Shares subsidy reimbursement is increased by 25%.

4 Star Provider - Meets elevated levels of quality standards.  Wisconsin Shares subsidy reimbursement is increased by 5%.

3 Star Provider - Meets proficient levels of quality standards.  Wisconsin Shares subsidy reimbursement remains the same.

2 Star Provider - Meets health and safety standards.  Wisconsin Shares subsidy reimbursement is reduced by 5%.

1 Star Provider - Not eligible for Wisconsin Shares subsidy reimbursement.  These providers' child care licenses or certifications have been revoked, denied or suspended, or their Wisconsin Shares payments have been ended due to fraud or suspected fraud.

Note: Any increase or decrease in Wisconsin Shares reimbursement rate due to YoungStar rating is applied after the parent co-payment is taken out of the Wisconsin Shares payment.

Documents have been created to help providers and parents understand Tiered Reimbursement:

NOTE: Licensed Day Camps are not included in YoungStar at this time and do not need to send in a YoungStar Contract.  They may be required to participate in YoungStar in 2013.

Your YoungStar rating is awarded based upon points earned across 4 categories: Education Qualifications and Training, Learning Environment and Curriculum, Professional and Business Practices, and Child Health and Well-Being Practices.

Providers can choose to have a YoungStar Technical Consultant come to their program and help them achieve their goals for higher quality and higher star ratings. Ratings are renewed annually, so their stars can rise as the quality of care provided rises.

YoungStar participation is required for providers who accept Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy payments (sometimes called "county subsidy").  For more information about Wisconsin Shares and the role it plays with YoungStar, visit the YoungStar and Wisconsin Shares webpage.

Printable copy of the YoungStar brochure for providers

YoungStar Application Forms

Providers who want to participate in YoungStar must agree to accept children enrolled in the Wisconsin Shares subsidy program by completing the YoungStar Contract and submitting the form to their local YoungStar office. Providers must complete a YoungStar Contract for each individual child care site, even if they are owned or operated by the same person or organization.

Revisions for 2013

We have revised the YoungStar quality indicators slightly for 2013.  The version available below will be used for any programs with anniversary dates on or after January 1, 2013.  new programs that apply for YoungStar for the first time on or after January 1, 2013 will also be rated using these criteria.

A document outlining the changes to YoungStar for 2013 has been developed to help providers who are renewing their YoungStar Contracts:

If any updates for clarification are made to the evaluation criteria within a calendar year, the updates will appear at the bottom of this webpage.

School-age programs were added to YoungStar in 2012. Visit the School-Age YoungStar webpage for more information.

YoungStar Renewal

Providers who are currently participating in YoungStar and want information about reapplying, should not use the forms below.  Please visit our YoungStar Renewal webpage for information about reapplying:

Information about reapplication to YoungStar

Form for Group Providers

  • YoungStar Contract - for Group programs that have never participated in YoungStar before:  English   Spanish   Hmong
  • Instructions for completing forms:   English   Spanish
  • Points Detail for Group Providers: this document provides a high-level overview of the areas in which providers can earn points and star ratings in YoungStar.
  • Evaluation Criteria for Group Providers: this document provides an in-depth explanation of how each point in YoungStar is evaluated and scored.  This document is used by the YoungStar Raters to rate programs.  The version available now will be used for any programs that have anniversary dates on or after January 1, 2013 and also for all providers who apply to YoungStar for the first time on or after January 1, 2013.

Form for Family Providers

  • YoungStar Contract - for Family Providers who have never participated in YoungStar before:  English   Spanish   Hmong
  • Instructions for completing forms:
  • Points Detail for Family Providers: this document provides a high-level overview of the areas in which providers can earn points and star ratings in YoungStar.
  • Evaluation Criteria for Family Providers: this document provides an in-depth explanation of how each point in YoungStar is evaluated and scored.  This document is used by the YoungStar Raters to rate programs.  The version available now will be used for any programs that have anniversary dates on or after January 1, 2013 and also for all providers who apply to YoungStar for the first time on or after January 1, 2013.

Form for School-Age Providers

  • YoungStar Contract for School-Age programs that have never participated in YoungStar before:    English   Spanish   Hmong
  • Instructions for completing forms for School-Age programs:   English   Spanish
  • Points Detail for School-Age Programs: this document provides a high-level overview of the areas in which programs can earn points and star ratings in YoungStar.
  • Evaluation Criteria for School-Age Programs: this document provides an in-depth explanation of how each point in YoungStar is evaluated and scored.  This document is used by the YoungStar Raters to rate programs.  The version available now will be used for any programs that have anniversary dates on or after January 1, 2013 and also for all providers who apply to YoungStar for the first time on or after January 1, 2013.

Forms for Out-of-State Providers

Providers in other states (Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota) who care for children who receive Wisconsin Shares subsidies need to fill out a Wisconsin Shares Contract but not a YoungStar Contract. Out-of-state providers should send completed forms to The Department of Children and Families, Attention: YoungStar, 201 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53701.

2012 Evaluation Criteria and Point Detail Documents

The 2012 Evaluation Criteria, which is in effect for any provider that has an anniversary date before January 1, 2013, is available here:

2013 Updates for Clarification
  • January 8, 2013: A discrepancy was found in indicator C.2.1 for family, group and school-age tracks between the explanation section and the verification section.  To earn the credit for the part of the indicator that relates to the report of income and actual expenses, programs must show a report of actual income and expenses for the previous fiscal year.  In a previous version of the evaluation criteria, the verification section had current fiscal year written in error.  The corrections can be found on the following pages: family (page 34), group (page 41), school-age (page 31).
  • February 21, 2013: The gray verification box for indicator C.4.4 on page 45 in the School-Age Evaluation Criteria mistakenly had the words "Group Leader" listed as the individuals who would need 2 hours of paid planning time.  The indicator should have said "Site Supervisors" need this planning time in school-age care.  This has been corrected.

YoungStar Newsletters

 

  

The Department of Children and Families, protecting children, strengthening families, building communities.