July 23 Child Care Provider Updates Round 5 July Child Care Counts Application Period is Open It’s time to complete your Round 5 July Child Care Counts initial application. The deadline is Sunday, August 4 at 11:59 p.m. Initial Application Week Reminders All providers must upload child and staff records with their initial application. See the Provider Portal Upload Guide for assistance. Be sure to carefully review the child and staff lists for attendance and payroll status during the Count Week and click “submit” once you have completed your application. Review the Updating Your Child Care Counts Information During Update Week video to learn how to make application modifications during Update Week. Spending Deadline Reminder All Stabilization Payment Program Funds must be spent within 120 days of the payment letter date. The spending deadline for March 2024 funds is August 10, 2024. See the Child Care Counts webpage and for more information. Reminder: Change to December Application/Update Week Due to provider feedback, the December Application/Update and Count Weeks have been changed to avoid the holiday week. The Application and Count Weeks have shifted one week earlier. Count Weeks: Dec. 1-14; Application Weeks: Dec. 14-22. There is no change to the payment date or spending deadline for December. Reminder: No Participation Deadline for Round 5 Due to updated federal guidance, we no longer need to implement a Participation Deadline for Round 5. This means that providers can apply during any application week throughout Round 5. This also means that payments for each month of Round 5 will be based on each month’s child and staff counts. The previously announced participation deadline was November 2024. This participation deadline is no longer necessary. With this change, providers (including new providers and providers with additional locations) may apply during any Application Week in Round 5. 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. Child Care Counts Información en español. Child Care Foundational Trainings Train-the-Trainer Event August 15 A Child Care Foundational Training (CCFT) Train-the-Trainer event for Skills and Strategies for the Child Care Teacher is now open! The event is being held on August 15, 2024, at the Watertown Public Library. You must register in advance for this event. Registration closes on July 31. Additional Train-the-Trainer events for all four Child Care Foundational Trainings will be offered in the fall. As a reminder, trainers must meet the following initial trainer requirements: Work or contract with a Wisconsin Registry-approved CCFT TSO Be an approved Tier 3 Trainer Have two years of experience in an ECE program. Register for the August 15 CCFT Train-the-Trainer: Skills and Strategies for the Child Care Teacher. More information about the trainings and trainer requirements can be found on the DCF CCFT website. Updated Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Diseases Chart Available The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has conducted a review of the Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Diseases (WCCD) Chart and an updated version is now available. The chart is available to be ordered as a wall chart or can be printed as PDFs of individual sections. This resource is free for order and download and can be a helpful tool for child care providers. If you are interested in ordering a WCCD wall chart for your program, please follow the instructions and fill out DHS request form F-80025a and include the WCCD Chart publication number (P-44397) and the title of the chart (Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Disease Wall Chart). Read more about childhood communicable diseases on the DHS website. If you have any questions, please email dhsfmorder@dhs.wisconsin.gov. Tuesday Talks – June Recording Now Available Did you miss the June Tuesday Talks with DECE? The link to the June talk on Child Care Counts and Background Check Updates is now available in the June 18, 2024 accordion on the Tuesday Talks with DECE Recordings webpage. Tuesday Talks with DECE are held the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next webinar is Tuesday, August 20 at 1:30 p.m. and we will discuss Child Care Counts, including the Child Care Counts Survey Results. 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. Información de las charlas del martes en español. 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. The Magic of Social Media Marketing – Free Virtual Training – Struggling to find staff? Looking to increase enrollment? Join us as we dive into creating your child care program’s brand and getting results using all the social platforms at your fingertips! If you’re not already enrolled in WECA’s shared services network, we’ll sign you up for WEESSN when you register for the session – it’s 100% free. This is one of many great professional development opportunities WECA offers – learn more on our website today! Thursday, July 25, 6:30-7:30 p.m., English and Spanish More information and registration Free ECHC Webinar – Children’s Vision Health: Birth to 5 Years – How can early childhood education providers recognize early signs of vision problems and help promote vision health for the children in their care? Samantha Butler, Community Health Manager with Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, will describe strategies for how to keep children's eyes healthy and safe, including the importance of children's vision screening. Questions? Reach out to the ECHC team at echc@sohe.wisc.edu. Thursday, August 1 – 1 p.m. Learn more and register for the webinar.
