March 17 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.

Spending Deadline Approaching for Spring 2021 Child Care Counts Response and Relief Program Funding Recipients

If you received Child Care Counts Spring 2021 Response and Relief Program funding, you must spend those funds by April 1, 2022.

Review the Terms and Conditions for this program for complete details. If you have questions, please contact the Child Care Counts Call Center via email at DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov or call and leave your detailed questions at 608-535-3650. The Call Center is open M-F from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Two Days Left to Apply for or Update Your Child Care Counts Application!

Time is running out to apply/update your information for the March Child Care Counts program. The deadline is Friday, March 18 at 11:59 p.m.

If you need assistance, please email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov. If you are unable to email, please leave your detailed message at 608-535-3650. 

  • Don’t wait until the last minute to request assistance! It may take up to 24 hours to receive a response from the call center. The call center is experiencing high call volumes. We will respond to your question as soon as possible. Email is recommended for a faster response.
    • Please be sure to include your provider ID, location number, and details about your question when calling or emailing. Call center hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.
  • If you applied for the Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program during the February Application/Update Week, you must complete monthly updates to number of children and staff employed during the Application/Update Week, per the Terms and Conditions of the program.
    • If your application(s) status is “Review Needed” this means that you have not completed your update/review. The application status should show as “Submitted” for any applications that have been reviewed and updated as needed during Update Week. Be sure to verify all required information and hit “Submit” on the last page of your application. Your application status will change from Review Needed to Submitted once you have completed your updates.
  • Is your correct email address in the Provider Portal? DCF may send important Child Care Counts information via email. Check your email address to ensure you have correctly entered it while you are updating your application this week!

Never applied for Child Care Counts? Now is the time to apply in the Child Care Provider Portal so you don’t miss out on funds! Once your initial application is approved, as long as you maintain eligibility, you simply need to complete monthly updates to receive ongoing payments. You will not need to complete the entire application process every month. Contact the Call Center if you have questions.

REMINDER: Funds must be spent within 120 days of the date of your payment letter.

  • Payments from November (payment letter date 12/10/21) must be spent by 4/9/22.
  • Use the Spending Tool and view the step-by-step Spending Tool training video to learn tips and tricks for organizing and tracking how you spend your Child Care Counts
  • Have questions while updating your application? See our Resources section for videos, application guides, and tools for answers to your questions.

Other Helpful Tools and Resources

Please log-in to your Child Care Provider Portal account immediately and complete your review/update. The update window closes Friday, March 18 at 11:59 p.m. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Application Weeks.

Child Care Counts Información en español.

Complete Your Cost of Care Survey Today – Deadline April 30

You recently received a Cost of Care survey from your CCR&R. Please fill out your survey ASAP. The survey deadline is April 30. We need this information to better understand the costs associated with providing child care. Got questions? Contact your local CCR&R.

Announcing the New Risk and Reach Website

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is excited to share a new interactive Risk and Reach website. This tool is intended to assess the needs of young children, birth to 5, as well as potential gaps in services delivered by state and federal programs. Users are able to explore county-level data presented in the form of dynamically generated maps, tables, and scatterplots.

The community risk factors, including measures of economic, health, safety, and educational outcomes, are ones that negatively affect the healthy development of children birth to 5. They include indicators such as maternal education, infant birth weight, child welfare involvement, poverty, housing costs, and child care expenses. Reach factors include publicly funded programs intended to mitigate against risks to children, reduce the burdens on families and improve the success of young children. They include Wisconsin FoodShare, Wisconsin Shares child care subsidies, regulated child care, Early Head Start, Head Start, 4-year-old Kindergarten, Birth to 3, and Family Foundations Home Visiting.

The Risk and Reach site strives to promote constructive dialogue, better understanding, and data-informed decisions that improve the well-being of the youngest Wisconsin children. It is intended as a tool to be used by state government, local advocacy groups, and communities to better understand areas of need and identify opportunities for potential investment and program expansion.

This project is in collaboration with Applied Population Laboratory (APL), the Institute for Research and Poverty (IRP) at UW-Madison, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), and the Department of Health Services (DHS) and made possible with PDG funding provided through DCF. Learn more and start exploring the new Risk and Reach website. If you have questions, please email wipdg@wisconsin.gov.

Project Growth Updates

Project Growth is helping Wisconsin businesses, communities, and child care partners add services, find solutions, and innovate through two new grant programs: Dream Up! and Partner Up! The deadline to apply for both grant programs is April 4 at 5 p.m. CST.

You can learn more about each grant program by watching on demand webinars and reviewing the FAQs on the Project Growth website.

Webinars

FAQs

Reminder: DCF is Hiring – Bureau of Operations and Planning Information Systems (IS) Business Consultant

DCF is recruiting to fill an IS Business Consultant position (Bureau of Operations and Planning). DCF offers great benefits for all permanent positions, personal growth opportunities, and work-life balance. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.