August 21 Child Care Provider Updates $8.7 Million Delivered in First Round of Child Care Bridge Payments Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), announced this week that more than 3,100 child care providers across the state received a total of $8.7 million via the first payment of the Child Care Bridge Payments Program. The program will provide $110 million in monthly direct payments to Wisconsin child care providers through June 2026. Read the full press release. Flooding Assistance Available Many families and child care providers have been impacted by last week’s historic flooding. Individuals who have experienced damage from flooding are encouraged to report damage and any needs that they are facing to 211 Wisconsin. Individuals can enter information regarding damage to the home, business, or both. Individuals can also opt in to sharing their information if volunteers become available to help with clean up in the future. Individuals can also call the 211 Wisconsin hotline for assistance. 211 Wisconsin is a free, confidential hotline that can assist in connecting individuals to thousands of local programs and services based on their needs. Flooding Assistance Resources 211 Wisconsin Disaster Report 211 Wisconsin Contacts Get Ready for the August Child Care Bridge Payments Update Period The next update/application period is August 23-31. Organize your records now so you are ready for the next Child Care Bridge Payments Update/Application Week. You must review and update your application every month. See the Child Care Payments Calendar for future Count and Update Weeks. Update Week Application Resources Submitting Your Child Care Bridge Payments Application Guide Update Week Guide – step-by-step instructions for updating and re-submitting your application Uploading Documents to the Child Care Provider Portal Guide If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Child Care Payments Support Center by 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 Foundational Training Subsidy is Ending DCF has been subsidizing the Child Care Foundational Trainings (CCFTs) through grants for completed trainings. To date, we have subsidized 6,195 completions of the trainings. The legislature did not include funding to continue CCFT subsidies in the biennial budget. As a result, the subsidies are ending August 31, 2025. If you are currently registered for a training that will end after August 31, 2025, please connect with your training agency to talk about next steps. For more information on the CCFTs, please visit DCF’s foundational training webpage. To see the tracker of remaining CCFT subsidy, please visit the Wisconsin Registry’s CCFT Tracker website. Encourage Your Families to Request their Fall Authorizations! Do you currently serve families using Wisconsin Shares subsidy? With fall fast approaching, this is a great time to encourage your families to use the Parent Portal to request their fall authorization. Here are a few things parents can do in the Parent Portal: View child care authorizations Schedule an appointment for an authorization request (Milwaukee County Only) Request a new authorization or make changes to a current authorization Check the balance on their MyWIChildCare EBT card and track payments Sign up to receive a text message alerts on a cell phone when there are new messages in the Parent Portal Track all authorization requests entered in the Parent Portal using the Track My Requests button DCF is Hiring for the Northern Licensing/Certification Specialist Are you passionate about supporting the health, safety, and quality of 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. The Division of Early Care and Education (DECE), Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR), is currently recruiting to fill a Licensing/Certification Specialist position in our Northern Region headquartered in Rhinelander, WI. Our Northern regional office is located at 2187 N. Stevens St. in Rhinelander, WI and is comprised primarily of field work requiring on-site, in-person visits approximately 3-4 days per week within the region. DCF has fleet vehicles available for use for required travel. Hybrid work options will be discussed further during the interview. Employees will be required to report to Madison, WI or Milwaukee, WI on their first day of employment. High-speed internet access is required to meet the needs of hybrid work. Come see why DCF is such a great place to work! The deadline to apply is September 15, 2025. Learn more about this position on Wisc.Jobs. 4C for Children is Hiring a Spanish Training Consultant In this role, the consultant will lead Child Care Foundational Trainings and continuing education classes that prepare participants for lasting success in the early childhood field. This position offers flexible scheduling, allowing you to work on weeknights or weekends based on your availability. Deadline to apply is Friday, August 29, 2025. Please submit resume to Lia Yang at lyang@4cfc.org. See the position flyer for complete details. 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: Stress and Resilience: Strengthening Well-Being for Early Childhood Professionals This course offers early childhood educators strategies to recognize stressors and explore ways to build resilience in both their personal and professional lives. Virtual | September 9 | 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Register through the Wisconsin Registry. Registration closes on September 6, 2025 Questions? Contact Anna Barthen at abarthen@youngstarconnect.com I Belong Here! All Children Matter: Supporting Children with Differing Abilities Join 4C’s virtual training about children with developmental or learning differences. Spanish interpretation is not available. Training Dates: September 10, 17, 24, October 1, 8 Cost: $125 | Registration required: Registry Event ID #966027 4C for Children Training Catalog Questions: Call 4C For Children at 414-562-2650 or email lyang@4cfc.org Early Learning Conference for ECE Professionals You’re invited to the 2025 Early Learning Conference in Eau Claire, WI. This event is for everyone who works with or cares for children – early childhood programs and professionals, caregivers, parents, as well as those who support early learning in our communities. Saturday, November 1 | Florian Gardens Conference Center, 2340 Lorch Avenue, Eau Claire, WI Cost: $50 (before September 30) | Register by October 12 Visit the website for full details and to register for the conference. Questions? Contact Child Care Partnership ccp@wdeoc.org. Teachers, Toddlers, and Tissues - Episode 30: Childhood Vaccine Schedule: What You Need to Know Vaccines have been in the news a lot lately, so the Early Childhood Health Consultation (ECHC) team going to clear up some of the noise by outlining what ECE teachers need to know about the childhood vaccine schedule, why timing matters, and how to talk to families who might have questions about getting their kids immunized. Listen to the podcast.
