January 4 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. DHS Urges Public Health Practices to Keep Kids Safe In a recent press release, DHS is asking parents and guardians to take action as Omicron cases increase. As students return to school in January, Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is asking all Wisconsin parents and guardians to take action to help slow the spread of Omicron and keep children safe in schools. DHS urges parents and guardians to collaborate with local leaders, school officials, and public health on the following actions: Get your child vaccinated for COVID-19, including a booster dose as soon as they are eligible. Ensure your child properly wears a well-fitting mask in all public indoor spaces, including schools, even if it is not required. Get your child tested for COVID-19 if they are experiencing symptoms or have had close contact with someone with COVID-19. Keep your child home from school and other activities to isolate and quarantine if they test positive for or are exposed to COVID-19. Read the entire press release. Register for Sleeves Up for the Kids Free Webinar Sleeves Up for the Kids (WECA, SFTA, WHSA and Dear Pandemic) are hosting a new information session. Public health experts Drs. Malia Jones and Amanda Simanek will be answering all your questions about current CDC guidance on quarantine and isolation, rapid testing, Omicron, vaccines for kids, and more! Title: “I heard…” answers to your common questions about COVID-19, vaccines for kids, omicron variant, and more. Presenters: Malia Jones, PhD MPH and Amanda Simanek, PhD MPHSession 1: January 7 at 12-1 p.m. CTSession 2: January 27 at 12-1 p.m. CT Register for Session 1 on January 7.Register for Session 2 on January 27. Child Care Counts Información en español. CCC December Payments Coming This Week Providers will be 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. The next application/update period is January 17-21, 2022. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Application Weeks. 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. Reminder: Wisconsin Shares Rate Increase Started January 1, 2022 In addition to current investments in child care through the Child Care Counts Payment Program, an increase in Wisconsin Shares maximum reimbursement rates for all age groups started on January 1, 2022. Note: You can review the prices in the Provider Portal for you by clicking the Prices button on the Financial page or Facility Details page, or by selecting Prices under the Manage Facility heading in the Navigation Menu. If the prices you have reported to Wisconsin Shares are lower than the new rates, families will not see an increase in their subsidy amount. If and when you change your rates, remember to update your Written Payment Agreements with your families, so they are aware of any changes to their out-of-pocket expenses for child care. See the Wisconsin Shares Rate Increase page for more information. Reminder: Child Care Licensing Proposed Rule Revisions: Comment Solicitation and Public Hearing DCF is revising child care licensing rules affecting chapters DCF 250, 251, and 252. The primary purpose of the rule revisions is to accurately reflect the nature of school-age child care in DCF 251. However, while make those revisions, we also proposed revisions to DCF 250, 252, and other 251 rules. At this time, we are soliciting comments on the proposed rules affecting licensed family child care, group child care, and day camps for children. The rule revision documents are available for review on the department’s Child Care Rulemaking Projects webpage. Written comments may be submitted by email to dcfpublichearing@wisconsin.gov or through the website http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/comment. The proposed rules are also available on this website. Written comments must be received on or before January 5, 2022. Interested persons are invited to appear at the hearing and will be afforded the opportunity to make an oral presentation of their positions. Hearing information: Date: January 5, 2022Time: 1 p.m.Meeting ID: 838 8654 7961Passcode: 187866To access the meeting by phone, call 1-312-626-6799 or 1-651-372-8299. If you have any questions, please contact your licensing specialist.
