Dream Up! Grant Program Frequently Asked Questionsblue icon with a white question mark

Dream Up! Grant Program (Cohort 3) Timelines

  • Grant applications period will run February 20, 2023 - March 17, 2023 at 5 p.m. CST
  • Contracts will be awarded by May 31, 2023 (with funding distributed when Strategic Supply-Building Plans are completed)
  • Orientation for awardees will begin in June 2023

First Children's Finance created a Child Care Supply-Building Program Application Process & Timeline PDF resource that details timeline from application to implementation.

Do I have to be a regulated provider to participate in Dream Up! grants?

Providers need to be regulated (i.e., licensed or certified, but not necessarily participating in YoungStar) in order to receive the Dream Up! stipend. First Children’s Finance will partner with providers and address the needs of the communities and child care providers in three different ways: building the financial sustainability of child care entrepreneurs, partnering with communities to preserve and grow their child care supply, and influencing state and federal systems to provide supports and investments needed to sustain child care businesses.

Who Can Apply for Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program? (Geography)

Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program is for teams of community stakeholders to address the child care needs of their communities.

Communities eligible to apply include:

  • Native & indigenous communities
  • Neighborhoods with defined boundaries in urban areas
  • Rural areas no bigger than a county
  • Suburban/exurban community
  • An area like a zip code, school district, or 4 small cities who join together

Who Can Apply Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program? (Participants)

Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building program is for teams of up to 15 members invested in development of child care programming in their community

Teams may include:

  • Local business leaders​
  • Community and civic organizations​
  • Economic development programs​
  • Child care programs​
  • School districts​
  • Local government​
  • City or county administrations​
  • Parent groups

Teams should include a cross sector of community leaders and preferably teams of 8-15 members. Individual child care programs are NOT eligible for the Dream Up! program as a stand-alone applicant but may be a part of the team. However, child care programs cannot be the team lead.

Note: Communities that were awarded funds for Cohort 1 or Cohort 2 in 2022 cannot reapply as the same entity. If an application contains an organization or individual that was part of a previous core team, that community may still be eligible, but the geographic community boundaries must not overlap with previously awarded communities. If your community previously applied for Dream Up! but was denied, we encourage you to review, strengthen, and resubmit your application for Cohort 3 funding. (see tips for applying FAQ)

What are the expectations/ requirements of the Core Team lead and estimated time commitment associated with each aspect of the role?

The Core Team Lead will be the primary contact with First Children’s Finance for the duration of the project. During the application process, if there are any questions, the Core Team Lead will be contacted. The Core Team Lead is expected to attend a Core Team Lead meeting (one hour) and all four Strategic Supply-Building Planning meetings (two hours each). The Core Team Lead will work with First Children’s Finance to find a location to hold meetings, coordinate ongoing Core Team meetings, and follow up with the Core Team needs to achieve their goals. First Children’s Finance will actively support the Core Team Lead through this process. Community projects can take time; these ongoing meetings typically are bi-weekly or monthly for the Core Team to achieve their goals. The time commitment could be a few hours a month to several hours a month depending on the goals set by the Core Team. The Core Team Lead will be the primary contact for the grant award, funding distribution, and reporting for the project.

What roles and commitments do other members of the Core Team have?

Every member of the Core Team should participate in the four Strategic Supply-Building Planning meetings (two hours each) to develop the team’s Strategic Supply-Building Plan on how funds will be utilized and the child care challenges will be addressed. After the plan is developed, each Core Team member should actively work to achieve the goals stated in the Strategic Supply-Building Plan; this will be time outside of Strategic Supply-Building Plan meetings. Community projects can take time; these ongoing meetings are typically bi-weekly or monthly for the Core Team to achieve their goals. The time commitment could be a few hours a month to several hours a month depending on the goals set by the Core Team. Teams should utilize up to three alternative members if the initial team lead is unable to fulfill their duties.

If I am a child care provider, how can I participate in Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program?

  • Child care providers are not able to apply on their own for the Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program.
  • Child care providers can be a part of the team of community members that apply for the Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program. However, child care programs cannot be the team lead.
  • Child care providers in selected Dream Up! communities will have the opportunity to participate in Child Care Business Leadership Cohort trainings. Providers who fully participate in Business Leadership Cohorts in their community will be eligible for $5,000 stipends for their programs (Funding restrictions apply - funding cannot be used for capital improvements, definition 2 CFR Ch. II § 200.1).

How will the “existing community child care needs” be determined for the Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program? What data sources or metrics should applicants use?

Please provide evidence from a range of sources you can access at this time. The application will be awarded points based on how much evidence is offered by your team, which could be testimonial or anecdotal in addition to quantitative. Once the grant is awarded, First Children's Finance will assist communities in additional data collection opportunities to fill in missing or incomplete data.

Here are some data sources you might explore:

How will existing community needs be evaluated by those scoring the applications?

Evaluators will rate the quality of data provided by applicants as evidence of their community's needs, including whether or not they meet the priorities. However, all questions and responses within the application will be rated and will offer potential for your application to earn points. The priorities section is just one of several rating scales that will be applied to the application. Please provide evidence from a range of sources you can access at this time. The application will be awarded points based on how much evidence is offered by your team, which could be testimonial or anecdotal, in addition to quantitative. Once the grant is awarded, First Children's Finance will assist communities in additional data collection opportunities to fill in missing or incomplete data. See list of data sources to consider exploring in the above FAQ.

How can Dream Up! communities use their grant funds?

Funding for Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building can be used for a variety of projects and activities to increase the supply and sustainability of child care programs in their community. Selected communities will have the discretion to use the funding to support their Strategic Supply Plan.* Funding for Dream Up! Cohort 1 & 2 and Cohort 3 comes from different funding sources. This means these cohorts have different allowable uses. You can view allowable uses by cohort below.

*Funding cannot be used for capital improvements, definition 2 CFR Ch. II § 200.1

What happens if the grant doesn't get extended? Would the program end or be fully on employers / local programs to continue?

  • The Dream Up! program is intended to support a community-created plan to build and sustain child care supply. Part of this process includes training and technical assistance to address ongoing feasibility and funding of projects. This may include seeking additional community investments, financial analysis for child care providers, and exploring additional funding resources. The community implementation funds may or may not be used by existing child care providers.
  • Providers in communities selected for the Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Program will be eligible to participate in Business Leadership Cohorts where they will receive additional training and resources around managing their business and finances. We hope these resources will provide child care businesses the opportunity to evaluate their program’s funding resources to maximize current funding and prepare for funding changes in the future. 

Be sure to check out the Partner Up! grant program if you want to explore that opportunity.

Who can I go to if I have more questions about Dream Up!? 

  • If you have additional questions about the application or the program after reading these FAQs, you can reach out to infonational@firstchildrensfinance.org.
  • First Children’s Finance will provide resources and referrals to child care businesses who are not accepted in Dream Up! to other Wisconsin organizations that may be able to support their child care business needs.

Can a school district considering opening child care to meet our rural care needs apply for the Dream Up! grant for our employees to use the daycare?

Stand-alone programs are not eligible for the Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building program. A school district could work with city, county, and/or other local business and community leaders to submit an application for the Dream Up! grant program.

Are child care providers eligible to apply for Dream Up! as a solo entity?

Individual child care programs are NOT eligible for Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building program as a stand-alone applicant but may be a part of a team. Child care programs who are participating in a Partner Up! grant as a business or receiving contracted slots from another business applying for Partner Up! are still eligible to be part of a Dream Up! core team.

What resources may be beneficial for communities to turn to when answering application questions?

Are you contacting area businesses to tell them about this?

Information will be and has been sent to local partners to be distributed throughout communities in a variety of ways including:

  • Emails
  • Social media posts
  • Website updates
  • Other media