March 31 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. Only One Day Left to Spend Funding from Spring 2021 Child Care Counts Response and Relief Program 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. Only a Few Days Left to Apply for Project Growth Grant Programs - Deadline April 4 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! You can learn more about each grant program by watching on-demand webinars and reviewing the FAQs on the Project Growth website. FAQs Dream Up! FAQs Partner Up! FAQs The deadline to apply for both grant programs is Monday, April 4 at 5 p.m. CST. Questions? Email wipdg@wisconsin.gov. Reminder: New Child Care Counts Program Important Dates Webpage DCF has created a new Child Care Counts Program Overview and Important Dates webpage. This one-stop-shop page provides you with all rounds of the program names and dates in one location. Check it out and bookmark it today! Reminder: Free Child Care Foundational Training Coming Soon! DCF and our training instructor partners have listened to your requests for accessible and affordable training and support. In response to the workforce shortage in child care, we are pleased to announce free Child Care Foundational Training, specifically for new child care professionals, coming in summer 2022. The Child Care Foundational Training courses covers the following noncredit trainings delivered online and in person: Introduction to the Child Care Profession Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care Fundamentals of Family Child Care Skills and Strategies for the Child Care Teacher See DCF's website for additional information and FAQs. More information on these courses and how you can sign up will be available in late spring 2022. Reminder: Free Early Childhood Intervention Resources Available As a child care provider, have you wanted to share information about children in your care with other providers or medical professionals? Do you keep student records on paper and want to start capturing this kind of information electronically? Thanks to grant funding from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin (AHW) endowment, child care providers now have access to free tools to support sharing information. These tools include: Parent consent form, which can be used to get the permission from parents/guardians to share information about their child Data-sharing agreements, so that providers can share information about children in their care with other providers or with medical professionals Student record template, a Google sheet where providers can start to record student information electronically These tools/resources are free! To learn more about the grant, please watch this short video. Access the tools and learn more by visiting the ECE Intervention Standards webpage. Reminder: Child Care Counts March Application/Update Period Closed The latest payment program application period is closed. Applications for the March Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program are being reviewed. Providers will be notified of their eligibility for funds by April 8, 2022, via a payment letter uploaded to the Child Care Provider Portal. March 27 – April 9 is the April Child Care Counts Count Week. The next application/update period is April 11-15, 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 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to get answers to your questions. Child Care Counts Información en español.
