February 13 Child Care Provider Updates ¿Quiere recibir esta información en español? Suscríbase a nuestra listserv en español. Federal Funding Questions DCF has received a number of questions about the rapidly evolving situation regarding federal funds. At this time, monthly Child Care Counts payments are scheduled to be disbursed on February 14 and February Wisconsin Shares benefits are scheduled to go on cards as usual. Tuesday Talks: Join us Tuesday, February 18 The next Tuesday Talks with DECE webinar is this coming Tuesday, February 18 at 1:30 p.m. and DCF Secretary-designee Jeff Pertl will be giving remarks, including about the Biennial Budget. In addition, this Talk will also include a short YoungStar Quality Adjustment update. Registration is not required for these events. Tuesday Talks with DECE is held the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Visit the DCF Tuesday Talks with DECE webpage to learn more. January Child Care Counts Payments Available February 14 Providers will be notified of their eligibility for January Child Care Counts funds by February 14, 2025 via a payment letter uploaded to the Child Care Provider Portal. The next update period is March 1-9, 2025. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Update Weeks. If you need assistance, please email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov or call and speak with a Support Center Specialist at 608-535-3650, M-F 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Reminder: Wisconsin Shares Child Care Estimator is Now Live The Wisconsin Shares Child Care Estimator tool is now available. To help families understand their subsidy amounts, DCF developed this new Child Care Subsidy Estimator tool. By estimating their potential subsidy this new tool will: Help parent/caregivers plan their finances, including out-of-pocket costs Help parents make choices about child care in their area Note: The subsidy estimator does not guarantee families a certain subsidy amount – it is just an estimate. Families still need to apply for Wisconsin Shares with their local agency to receive subsidy and get their final amount. If provider prices are different than what is in the Provider Portal, the subsidy estimator will be less accurate. Be sure your provider prices are up to date in the Provider Portal. This ensures that families looking for child care will see more accurate subsidy amounts when using the tool. If you have questions about updating your prices, contact your local agency. Reminder: DCF is Hiring for the Northern & Northeastern Licensing/Certification Specialist Are you passionate about supporting the health, safety, and quality care for young children? If you're an experienced child care teacher or early care educator looking to expand your impact beyond the classroom, consider joining our team as a Child Care Licensing Specialist with the Bureau of Early Care Regulation. Professional experience in the early care and education setting is a requirement of this position. The Division of Early Care and Education (DECE), Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR), is currently recruiting to fill a Licensing/Certification Specialist position both in: Northeastern Region in the Green Bay, WI. Northern Region located in Rhinelander, WI These positions are comprised primarily of field work requiring on-site, in-person visits approximately 3-4 days per week. Both have the deadline to apply of February 16, 2025. Learn more about this position on Wisc.Jobs. SFTA Name Changes to Thriving Wisconsin Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA) is now Thriving Wisconsin, “Strengthening Systems So Children Can Thrive”. Our Mission: We cultivate a system of organizations and professionals across Wisconsin to promote quality, strength-based, early childhood and family support services in all communities. Our Vision: In every Wisconsin community, all children have the opportunity to reach their highest potential and all adults embrace their role and responsibility to children. Thriving Wisconsin’s new website is coming early spring, until then you can continue to connect with us at our current website or 888.713.KIDS. 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. WECAN and Elliot Haspel and Katie Albitz Talk Employer Sponsored Child Care Elliot Haspel, from Capita presents employer sponsored child care policies followed by Kaitie Albitz from Childcare Stories on communication strategies. Wednesday, February 19 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Register for the event. A Zoom link will be sent that day. Virtual: Supporting Home Language in Early Childhood This workshop will provide participants with practical strategies and a wealth of resources to integrate and support children's home languages in their learning environment. Live session February 28 – 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Register at the Wisconsin Registry. Registration closes on February 25, 2025. Questions? Contact Maria Matrak at mmatrak@youngstarconnect.com Fifth Annual International SEL Day – March 3 SEL Day is a global, grassroots campaign for social emotional learning to support children’s academic recovery, mental health, and well-being. SEL4WI encourages you to join us and participate in SELDay 2025 on March 3 to raise awareness for social emotional learning. Visit SELday.org for more information. Questions? Contact info@sel4wi.org Free Special Needs Training for the 53206 Zip Code Join 4C for Children in a 15-hour training session built to learn about children with diverse needs. This training will identify needs, teach how to recognize child development and delays, gain valuable hands-on resources to guide the children, and learn how to use the Ages and Stages Questionnaire – Social and Emotional screening tool: ASQ: SE. In-Person Training dates: March 11, 18, 25, April 1 and 8, 2025, at the 4C For Children office from 6-9 p.m. | See the flyer for more details. | English only. Register for this training. | Registration deadline is March 5, 2025. Keeping Children Safe: Supervision, Tracking, and Follow Through Keeping children safe is a top priority for all educators. In this training, providers will learn how to describe and apply active supervision strategies and systems to keep children safe and accounted for in their programs. No Spanish interpretation available. Live session on March 13, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Register at the Wisconsin Registry. Registration closes on March 10, 2025. Questions? Contact Mary Niec at mniec@youngstarconnect.com
