January 29 Child Care Provider Updates Reminder: Submit Your Get Kids Ready Intent to Participate by February 1! Are you considering participating Get Kids Ready for the 2026-27 school year? The Get Kids Ready Intent to Participate is available in the DCF Provider Portal and must be submitted by child care providers no later than February 1, 2026. Child care providers who do not submit an Intent to Participate by February 1, 2026, will not be able to participate in Get Kids Ready for the 2026-2027 school year. Check out the Get Kids Ready webpage for child care providers for full program details including: Important Dates Eligibility Requirements for Child Care Providers Information on the Intent to Participate Information on Child Enrollment Frequently Asked Questions Resources, including the Intent to Participate Submission Guide Note: During the Intent to Participate, you do not need to verify that you meet these requirements. That will take place later in the process. For example, you will verify that you will provide 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per year and that your curriculum meets WMELS during the Program Eligibility Verification Application. And you will verify that Get Kids Ready lead teachers have an associate or bachelor's degree in each Payment Application. Remember, you can withdraw your Intent to Participate at later date but, you cannot start participating in the program mid-school year if you do not submit your Intent to Participate by February 1. We encourage all providers who may be interested in Get Kids Ready to submit an Intent to Participate by February 1, 2026. To avoid any issues with submitting your intent by the February 1 deadline, please do not wait to submit until the last day of the intent to participate window. DCF does not have flexibility to extend the deadline past February 1, and submitting early allows us to address any technical issues you may experience. Additionally, DCF is typically only open Monday-Friday. While the application does not close until February 1, for timely responses, please submit all inquiries by noon on Friday, January 30. If you have any questions after you have reviewed the website, please submit them through the Get Kids Ready Inquiry form. Public Hearings on Draft Child Care Rule Revisions The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) is holding two public hearings on proposed administrative rule changes. Hearing 1: February 18, 2026, via Zoom, at 2 p.m. The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit verbal or written comments from the public on two of DCF’s proposed rules affecting chs. DCF 202, 250, 251, and 252, relating to child care certification and licensing compliance with federal CCDF requirements and biennial budget licensing rule changes. See the Child Care Rulemaking Projects webpage for complete details about the rule changes. Wednesday, February 18 | 2 p.m. Join the Zoom meeting Join by phone: 1-312-626-6799 or 1-651-372-8299 Meeting ID: 733 390 2328 Written comments may be submitted by email to dcfpublichearing@wisconsin.gov. Written comments must be received on or before February 18, 2026. Hearing 2: February 19, 2026, via Zoom, at 2.pm. The purpose of the public hearing it to solicit verbal or written comments from the public on DCF’s proposed rule affecting ch. DCF 201, relating to child care subsidy compliance with federal CCDF requirements and other updates. See the complete details about the rule change. Thursday, February 19 | 2 p.m. Join the Zoom meeting Join by phone: 1-312-626-6799 or 1-651-372-8299 Meeting ID: 733 390 2328 Written comments may be submitted by email to dcfpublichearing@wisconsin.gov. Written comments must be received on or before February 19, 2026. January Child Care Bridge Payments Update Period is Closed The latest payment program update period is closed. Applications for the January Child Care Bridge Payments are being reviewed. Providers will be notified of their eligibility for funds by February 6 2026, via a payment letter uploaded to the Child Care Provider Portal. January payment amounts will also be posted to the How Payments are Determined webpage on February 6. The next update/application period is February 14-22, 2026. Reminder: the Child Care Bridge Payments end June 28, 2026 and final payments will be posted on July 10, 2026. DCF encourages all eligible child care providers to continue submitting monthly applications through the end of the program. Support Center Please send your questions to the Child Care Payments mailbox: DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov and include your name, phone number, provider number, and details of your question in your email. A Support Center specialist will reply as soon as possible. Support Center hours are 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F. Reminder: Watch for Your 1099 Form from FIS It's tax time! If you accept Wisconsin Shares at your child care program or you have received Child Care Counts or Child Care Bridge Payment funds, you will receive a 1099 form for 2025 from Fidelity National Information Services (FIS). Watch for yours in the mail. Upcoming Events and Education/Training Opportunities The below events are hosted by DCF, one of its partners, or is one that may be relevant to the early childhood field. Click/tap on the titles below to learn more about each event. Virtual: Four-Step Approach to Difficult Conversations with Families This training offers strategies for promoting positive interactions with families that are collaborative, supportive, and focus on problem-solving. Live session | February 5 | 6-8 p.m. Register through the Wisconsin Registry. Registration closes on February 2, 2026. Questions? Contact Jess Bowden at jbowden@youngstarconnect.com. 2026 ECE Conference – Big Emotions, Brave Educators: Learning, Growing, Thriving Join Childcaring for a day dedicated to learning, connection, and inspiration for early childhood professionals! Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 8:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m. | Northcentral Technical College – Wausau Campus. Register by February 13 Learn more and register today. Direct questions to NTC at: ce@ntc.edu or 715-803-1243.
