January 11 Child Care Provider Updates During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Division of Early Care and Education (DECE) will send updates to everyone who has subscribed to the DCF Child Care listserv. Child Care Counts Reminders Providers were notified of their eligibility for December funds on January 7, 2022, via a payment letter uploaded to the Child Care Provider Portal. January 2-15 are the Count Weeks for January applications/updates. Next week, January 17-21, 2022, is the new Application/Update Week. Make sure your Child Care Provider Portal information is up to date and accurate. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Application Weeks. If you received a payment in December, you must update your application during the January 17-21 Update Week, including open/closed status, temporary closures, and child/staff information. Child Care Counts and Temporary Closures: Providers who have already been approved for payments for the prior month may continue to be eligible for payments if closed due to COVID exposure during a future Count Week. This includes temporary closures that last through the entire Count Week. NOTE: Only temporary closure reasons of COVID-19 Exposure of Staff to COVID-19 or COVID-19 Exposure of Child(ren) to COVID-19 may be eligible for payments.If a provider is temporarily closed for the entire Count Week for other COVID-related or non-COVID-related reasons, payments will not continue for that month. See the new Temporary Closure guide for instructions on entering temporary closures in the Child Care CountsApplication, and visit the COVID Guidance section of the Frequently Asked Questions for more information. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) were updated last week to address your spending questions. Read the Use of Funds section to make sure you are following the Terms and Conditions for spending. Reminder: Funds received under this program must be spent within 120 days of the date of Payment Letter for the given month. If you need help or have questions about your Payment Program status, please email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov or call and leave your detailed questions at 608-535-3650. Check out our Updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to get answers to your questions. Child Care Counts Información en español. Promoting Early Childhood (PEC) 2022 Call for Engagement and Proposals The Wisconsin’s Promoting Early Childhood (PEC) Planning Committee is seeking proposals for engagement activities and breakout sessions! Promoting Early Childhood (PEC) Virtual Conference H.E.A.R.T of Early Childhood – March 16-17, 2022 - 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Via Zoom The planning committee is opening the call for engagement and proposals. What does that mean? First, you can submit a proposal to provide a breakout session during the conference. Breakout sessions will be 75 minutes, will happen in real-time. All proposals will be reviewed, and accepted proposal will be announced on February 4, 2022. Additional information can be found on the PEC Call for Proposal Form. Second, you can submit an idea for a Fill your H.E.A.R.T. Colleague Connections Activity. We are looking for fun and interactive ideas that will fill participant's hearts. The activity will allow for a fun virtual break from the normal conference experience. The activity will be for 15-20 minutes. Additional information can be found on the Fill your H.E.A.R.T Colleagues Connections Form. Timeline for BOTH Submissions: Submission forms will close on January 17, 2022 Notification of accepted/not accepted proposals and ideas will be by February 4, 2022. If you have questions, contact: Sherry W. Kimball Early Childhood Consultant WI Department of Public Instruction-Teaching and Learning 125 S. Webster Street Madison, WI 53703 608-267-9625 https://dpi.wi.gov/cal For more information on PEC, visit the PEC website.
