July 26 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.

Update Your Child Care Counts Application/Update This Week

This week, July 25-29, is the July Application/Update week. Prepare to update your staff and child records as needed. Do you have changes in children or staff for summer programming? July applications should reflect end of school year/summer program enrollment. Update your Child Care Counts application this week to reflect those changes so you don’t miss out on any funding. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Application Weeks.

New FAQ: Withdrawing/Resubmitting Your Application

My facility is not operational for a period of time during the summer months. What should I do with my CCC Application? Withdraw, enter temporary closure, or change all children and staff to zero?

If your facility is not open for a period of time (for example, during the summer), you should either withdraw your application, or update and resubmit your Child Care Counts application during Update Week as described below.

Option 1: Withdraw Your Application

  • Log in to your Child Care Counts application
  • On the main page of the application, click ‘Modify Application Details’ in the ‘Payment Program Details’ section for Increasing Access to High-Quality Care or Funding Workforce Recruitment And Retention.
  • Click the downward arrow next to ‘Review Needed’ and select ‘Withdrawn’ from the drop down menu. Then, click on ‘Modify’.  

You must also enter a Temporary Closure in the Child Care Provider Portal. Use the ‘Closure Schedules’ page to report temporary closures.

NOTE: You will need to withdraw from both Program A and Program B if you were approved for both in the previous month. To re-enter the payment program, you will need to follow the initial application process.

Option 2: Update and Resubmit Your Application

  • Enter the appropriate Temporary Closure information on the Temporary Closure page.
  • Mark “No” to the question: “Was your facility open during the count week?”
  • Enter “0” for the number of children attended.
    • On the Child Details page, mark “No” for each child listed, to indicate that they did not attend during the Count Week.
  • On the Staff Details page, mark “No” for each staff listed, to indicate that they were not employed or on payroll during the Count Week.

Reminder: Your facility must be open and caring for children during the Count Week in order to receive payment. If you are temporarily closed due to any other reason than Covid Exposure, your application will be denied and you will receive a denial letter.

NOTE: If staff members are no longer employed at your facility, you must enter employment end dates and remove them from your Staff List. Failing to update this information may restrict staff from being added to a new employer’s Program B application.

NOTE: You can only withdraw or edit your application during the Application/Update Week for the current month. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Application/Update Weeks.

Tips for Update/Application Week

Round 2 Starts in August

The Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program Round 2 begins in August 2022. Visit our webpage to see more information about Round 2, including important dates for August 2022 – April 2023, Round 2 Terms and Conditions, Non-Standard Hours Add-On, and more!

Child Care Counts Audits and Reviews

DCF is required to conduct audits and reviews to ensure that these funds were paid out properly and to ensure that providers are adhering to the terms and conditions they agreed to when they applied for these funding programs.

  • DCF audit of the Child Care Counts program includes a random sample of providers. Some providers received documentation request letters in the mail through the Child Care Provider Portal (CCPP).
  • Please continue to monitor your Child Care Provider Portal in the event your child care program was selected in the sample.
  • If your child care program is selected to be audited, you will be directed to submit the documentation to DCF via the Child Care Provider Portal by August 4, 2022.
  • Please ensure that you only submit the specific documents that are stated in the letter and only for the specific date ranges and program indicated in the letter.
  • Timely Response is required. You do not need to take any action at this time unless you receive an audit notice. If you receive a notice, it will outline next steps on what and how to upload necessary documents.

Additional Information & Resources about Audits can be found on the Child Care Counts website in the Audits and Review Process section.

Have questions about your Payment Program status? We’re here to help! 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.

REVISED: Postcard Mailing to Families with Current Wisconsin Shares Authorizations

Note: The QR codes in last week’s email were defective. The links below have been updated with the corrected QR codes. Please use these updated files for sharing. We apologize for any inconvenience.

DCF is mailing more than 20,000 postcards to families with current Wisconsin Shares Authorizations to remind them to request their fall/back-to-school child care authorizations now. The postcard encourages parents to utilize the Parent Portal to view authorization notices, request changes, see subsidy amounts for each child, and more. The postcard has been produced in both English and Spanish.

Child care providers and local agency workers are encouraged to share the postcard and its contents with families utilizing Wisconsin Shares. Postcards will drop in the mail by July 29, 2022.

July Tuesday Talks with DECE Recording Available

Thank you to everyone who attended our second Tuesday Talks with DECE last week! We were thrilled with the attendance numbers and all the questions received. The link to the July 19 webinar about Child Care Counts is now available in the July 19 Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program Round 2 accordion on the Tuesday Talks with DECE webpage.

Tuesday Talks with DECE are held the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next webinar is August 16 at 1:30 p.m. and the topic will again be on Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program Round 2 to help you get ready for applications opening in August. Visit the DCF Tuesday Talks with DECE webpage to access the Zoom link and learn about future topics.

Learn more about Tuesday Talks on the DCF website.

Reminder: DECE Hiring Multiple Positions

DCF/Division of Early Care and Education (DECE) is hiring:

  • Two project Program and Policy Analyst-Advanced (PPA) positions in the Bureau of YoungStar
    • Strategic Planning Policy Analyst-Project will serve as the project lead for the Birth to Five Strategic Plan. The deadline to apply for this position is August 1.
    • Early Childhood Governance Structure Lead will serve as the lead for Early Childhood Governance System work. The deadline to apply for this position is August 2.

View all open DCF positions at Wisc.Jobs.