February 15 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. Apply for or Update Your Child Care Counts Application this Week February 14-18 is Child Care Counts application/update week. If you were approved for the January payment, you must update your staff and child records in the Child Care Provider Portal this week. Payment letters were uploaded to the Provider Portal on February 11. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Application Weeks. Use the Spending Tool in our Resources section to help you keep track of how funds received from the Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program were spent. Download the Excel file today to help you track your expenses. Note: funds must be spent within 120 days of the date of your payment letter as stated in the Terms and Conditions. Reminder: January was the last month to include the temporary $10 increase Per-Child Payment Amount through Program A. This increase applied ONLY to the December and January payments and will be discontinued as of the February payment. See the How Payments are Determined section for complete details. See the new FAQs about YoungStar Quality Incentive payments through Child Care Counts. Have questions while updating your application? See our Resources section for videos, application guides, and tools for answers to your questions. 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 recently updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to get answers to your questions. Child Care Counts Información en español. Calling All Group Center Directors! Attend an Info Session on WEESSN Tier 1 Services WEESSN (Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network) is here to support you. Our #1 goal is to make the lives of providers in the State of Wisconsin less stressful. If you have not already become a WEESSN member, please join us to learn about WEESSN Tier 1—post jobs for free on 8 different job sites, gain access to over 1,600 resources for child care, get discounts on purchasing for your center, and so much more. In addition, learn about the Tier 2 program, only available to 75 programs across the state for free—a personal business coach, professional development, access to telehealth, top-notch child care software, all for you! February 23, 2022 – 1-2 p.m. All participants will receive 1 hour Registry credit and be entered into a drawing for a pack of 10 new children’s books! Register Here! **There will be live Spanish interpretation for this presentation. La sesión será traducida simultáneamente al español** Reminder: Wisconsin Shares Rate Increase Started January 1, 2022 Many families saw an increase in the monthly Wisconsin Shares subsidy amount on their MyWIChildCare EBT card effective January 1, 2022. This increase was reflected in benefits issued after January 1, 2022. Please share this information with the families in your child care program. Questions about the amount of funding on their EBT card should be directed to their local agency. For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions for parents, child care providers, and agency workers. 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: Available COVID-19 Resources for Child Care, Head Start, and School-Age Programming Information on Resources for Accessing Adult Masks and Testing Options N95 Masks for Adults Programs can access N95 masks for staff in two ways: Requesting masks from the DHS Stockpile through local public health departments. Checking with local pharmacies participating in the federal retail program who will soon be receiving federal allocations of masks to distribute for free. CLIA Waiver Process to Receive Rapid Tests Through DHS Child Care, Head Start and School Age programs can order rapid antigen tests from DHS. When ordering rapid antigen tests from DHS, you will need to submit your CLIA Certificate of Waiver number. To obtain a CLIA Certificate of Waiver, you will need to submit a completed application to dhsdqaclia@dhs.wisconsin.gov. To learn more, watch the June 24, 2021 Testing in Licensed and Certified Child Care Programs webinar. CDC Expanded Testing Program Another testing option is available to ECE programs, federally, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC’s Operation Expanded Testing (OpET) program increases access to testing nationwide, especially for communities that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. OpET provides no-cost testing to child care centers, K-12 schools, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), under-resourced communities, and congregate settings, such as homeless shelters, domestic violence and abuse shelters, non-federal correctional facilities, and other qualified sites. OpET can perform millions of tests through July 1, 2022. These contractor-provided laboratory services include specimen collection supplies, shipping materials, laboratory testing, and results reporting. The recipient sites contribute staff to collect specimens To enroll your facility into OpET’s no-cost screening testing program, visit the Midwest Hub and enroll your school, child care center, shelter, or other congregate care setting. If you have questions, refer to the CDC OpET page for additional information on enrollment. For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage.
