Partner Up! Frequently Asked Questions

Are all businesses eligible for Partner Up!?

All businesses with two or more employees, except government organizations, are eligible.

Are government entities or governmental units eligible to apply for Partner Up! grants?

Government entities or governmental units are not eligible to apply for Partner Up! grants due to specific program eligibility criteria decisions made by the Department to focus funding on private businesses. This would apply to public school districts, federal, state, and local government entities.

However, there are unique circumstances in which these entities may be eligible to apply for their business. If a Tribe or school district owns a casino, a child care center, or other business, they are eligible to apply for those employees.

Can child care providers apply as a business to contract slots for their own employee’s children?

Yes! We anticipate that child care providers will apply for funds to support their employees’ tuition expenses at their program. However, there are risks inherent with allowing a child care business to “partner with themselves.” To mitigate these risks DCF will more closely monitor this category of contracts and require the providers to submit additional documentation beyond what is described in the eligibility criteria.

• Adequate training and guidance must be provided to child care providers who apply for funding as a business on what is required.
• DCF must document who at the child care program signs the contract and which employees are receiving the Partner Up! funding.

The licensee cannot purchase a slot in the Partner Up! program for their own child(ren) at their child care program.

Are these programs only for early child care providers?

Project Growth is aimed at the child care challenge in Wisconsin. These grants will help Wisconsin businesses, communities, and ECE providers to partner, find solutions, and innovate. Businesses, including regulated child care providers, are eligible to apply to Partner Up!

Will there be a waiting list if applications exceed available funding?

Yes, DCF will maintain a waiting list for future funding opportunities. You will be notified if not awarded a Partner Up! grant and will have the option to be added to the waiting list at that time.

How is low- and middle-income defined?

Low to middle income is not defined by DCF; for guidance, consider the following:

• Federal poverty level (FPL) for a family of 4 is $30,000
• 200% of the FPL for a family of 4 is $60,000
• The Wisconsin median household income is $67,080, with the average of 2.4 people per household

Can Partner Up! child care slots sponsor the tuition payments for parents/caregivers who receive the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy or the Inclusive Birth to 3 Child Care Pilot?

Parents/caregivers who currently receive Wisconsin Shares or the Inclusive Birth to 3 Child Care Pilot are not eligible to receive sponsorship from Partner Up! at the same time. These families are able to unenroll in Wisconsin Shares or the Inclusive Birth to 3 Child Care Pilot if they would like to participate and would then need to reapply for Wisconsin Shares at the end of the program contract.

Can I apply for slots for children who only need care during summer months?

Due to limited funding for Partner Up! Cohort 3 application round, we are limiting contract terms to 9 or 12 months.  There may be an opportunity for adjustments or changes to contracts in the future.

Will someone be available to assist grantees with additional questions and help guide them through the process?

Business Child Care Advocates (BCCAs) are Child Care Resource & Referral staff, located in each region, who are ready to provide technical assistance and support to Partner Up! participants. Please contact your BCCA for assistance.

How does Partner Up! benefit rural areas with farms and smaller businesses?

Partner Up! will prioritize small businesses to ensure greater distribution of resources where they are needed. Partner Up! has also created a distribution of funding guidance table to ensure all areas of the state are receiving necessary resources. 

How does Partner Up! work to ensure equitable distribution of resources in lower socio-economic areas of the state? 

DCF is prioritizing funds for low- and middle-income employees and distributing funds across the state and to an array of business types, including small businesses. Partner Up! is also prioritizing child care providers applying as a business that are located in a child care desert, which may correspond to lower socio-economic regions of the state. 

How is Partner Up! being marketed on a local level? 

Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies are located within each region and are doing extensive outreach to market Partner Up! Business Child Care Advocates (BCCAs) are CCR&R staff who are ready to provide technical assistance and support to businesses interested in applying. Please contact your BCCA with questions.

What is the sustainability plan and how long can businesses expect for funding from Partner Up! to last? 

Businesses may select a length of contract of 9 or 12 months to support sustainability planning. Upon completion of the contract, if Partner Up! funding does not get extended with a new call for proposals, the program would need to be sustained by businesses, additional third-party resources, or ended. 

What happens if Partner Up! funding does not get extended? Would the program end or is it intended for employers to sustain efforts? 

If Partner Up! funding does not get extended the program would either need to be sustained by businesses, additional third-party resources, or ended. 

Are the payments taxable?

All payment programs are taxable income. For further questions on how these funds impact your tax situation, please consult with a CPA or tax attorney.

What is the difference between a newly contracting business and business renewing their contract? 

Businesses who have never contracted for a Partner Up! grant will need to contribute a minimum of 25% of the true cost of care and their employees will need to pay for 10% of the true cost of care. Businesses have the option to cover the 10% parent pay for their employees, in which then the minimum contribution will be 35%. 

Businesses who are renewing a previous Partner Up! contract from Cohort 1 or 2 will need to contribute a minimum of 35% of the true cost of care and their employees will not be expected to contribute. Businesses may not decrease their contribution amount from their original contract. 

Can businesses looking to renew a current Partner Up! contract add slots to their contract when applying? 

No. Due to limited funding at this time, businesses renewing a Partner Up! contract during this application period may not request additional slots be added to the contract. 

If businesses have multiple locations, do I need to apply for each location separately? 

Businesses with multiple locations need only apply once. However, these businesses will need to indicate on the application whether the locations are in separate counties, the total number of employees at all locations, and the total number of slots they want. 

Can I receive a grant if I am the owner of my business and I have no other employees? 

Only businesses with two or more employees are eligible to apply. 

Can I receive a grant if I am the owner of my business and I have no other employees? 

Only businesses with two or more employees are eligible to apply. 

What if the child care provider’s regular cost of tuition is more than the true cost of care determined by DCF? 

Parents are responsible for covering any costs above the true cost of care, including regular tuition that is more than the true cost of care, field trips, special projects, etc. Providers will need to collect these fees directly from the parent.  

How was the true cost of care determined? 

DCF statewide analyses led to the determined levels of true cost of care utilized for Partner Up! 

How is the true cost of care covered through Partner Up!? 

The true cost of care (as outlined in the tables above) is paid for by a combination of the business, DCF, and the parents (for newly contracting businesses). Businesses will determine the percentage of the true cost of care that they will pay for their employees, but this must be a minimum of 25% of the true cost of care rate for newly contracting businesses and 35% for businesses wishing to renew their Partner Up! contracts. Parents will also pay for up to 10% of the true cost of care for new contracts, unless the employer covers this portion. The remaining percentage is paid for by Partner Up! 

Will there be a wait list for businesses who applied for a Partner Up! grant, but did not receive an award? 

Yes, DCF will maintain a waiting list for future funding opportunities. If you are on the wait list, your application status letter will mention this. If more funding becomes available and you are awarded a Partner Up! grant, you will receive a new letter explaining this. 

Do child care providers need to apply to Partner Up! in order to offer care for reserved slots? 

No. Child care providers who wish to partner with other businesses and reserve slots only should contact their CCR&R to be added to the list of interested providers.

How can a child care provider express interest in contracting with local businesses? 

Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs) and Business Child Care Advocates will be working with businesses that apply for Partner Up! to connect them with local regulated child care programs. 

DCF also encourages child care providers to reach out to local community members and businesses to share this exciting grant opportunity! You may access the Project Growth Media Bundle for information to share with those in your network. 

My program has a wait list, can I still benefit from a Partner Up! grant? 

Yes! Your child care program cannot unenroll children for whom they are currently providing care and offer it to children that were approved for the Partner Up! grant program. However, the Partner Up! program will work with families and businesses to partner with child care providers that have availability or ensure families can stay at their existing provider. This means that if an employer wants to sponsor the tuition payments for the parent/caregiver of a child already enrolled in your program, you could receive an increase in monthly revenue because you would receive funding of the true cost of their care, rather than your market-driven tuition rate. 

What does “in good standing” mean for child care providers? 

In good standing means that providers are: 

1. In compliance with child care background check requirements; 
2. In compliance with administrative rules for child care providers as outlined by DCF Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR) and are not currently subject to a revocation, suspension, or denial of a license or certification; and 
3. Currently repaying any overpayment and/or in compliance with any Repayment Agreement, if any Wisconsin Shares or Child Care Counts overpayments are owed.

How will providers receive payment for children in the Partner Up! program? 

As of December 1, 2023, DCF took over the administration and grant payments for Partner Up! 

For current businesses that are renewing their contracts, DCF will be responsible for sending payments to the providers for the DCF portion. Businesses will be responsible for paying their portion directly to the child care program as of December 1, 2023. 

For newly contracted businesses, DCF will be responsible for sending payments to the providers for the DCF portion of the contract. Businesses will be responsible for paying their portion of the contract directly to the child care program. The providers are responsible for collecting the remaining 10% of the true cost of care directly from the parents. In some situations, a business may elect to cover the parent contribution, in which case the business will send both their portion and the parent portion directly to the child care program. 

Please note: DCF sends Partner Up! payments to child care providers to the same account and in the same way providers receive Child Care Counts funding.  

How does Partner Up! help family child care providers? 

Providers will have stable enrollment through paid, reserved slots. And because providers will receive the true cost of care, in many cases this amount will be higher than regular tuition rates and provide funds to be reinvested into quality programming. 

What YoungStar level is required of child care providers who will participate in Partner Up!? 

There is no requirement! Providers do not need to be participating in YoungStar. Rather, they must be either licensed or certified by Wisconsin DCF to participate. 

Are employees able to choose their own child care providers? 

In many cases, families will be able to remain with their current regulated provider. Where this is not possible, BCCAs will work to connect businesses with local regulated providers. When a family needs care and does not yet have a regulated provider, BCCAs will be able to assist with referrals and provider/family matching. 

How can I participate in Partner Up! if I have no vacancies and am unable to add children due to low staffing? 

You could start by providing information to the families of children currently in your care. They can discuss Partner Up! with their employers and participate if the employer applies and is awarded a Partner Up! grant.

What should child care providers do if their contract has a parent pay portion? 

Child care providers may want to consider creating a new parent contract or modifying their current parent contract to reflect the cost of care parents are expected to contribute while participating in Partner Up! Providers may also want to consider including in the contract any costs not covered by Partner Up!, including regular tuition rates if they’re above the true cost of care, field trips, special projects, etc. 

What happens if parents or businesses don’t pay the child care provider for their portion? 

For new business contracts, child care providers are responsible for collecting the business and parent pay portion of the Partner Up! grant directly from the business or parent. If a parent does not pay, providers may follow their regular child care policies and course of action as they do for all families attending their child care program. If a business does not pay, child care providers may contact their BCCA for assistance in collecting payment, but it is ultimately the child care provider’s responsibility to collect. If a business does not pay, DCF reserves the right to terminate the contract with the business.  

DCF is not responsible for the business and parent pay contributions in Partner Up!

What happens if an employee receiving Partner Up! leaves a contracting business or no longer needs child care? 

Businesses and child care providers must report this change to their BCCA within two days. The business then has two weeks to find a replacement for this slot and work with their BCCA to enroll this new employee in the program. If the slot is not filled within two weeks, the child care provider is free to fill that open slot with someone from their wait list. 

Are there reporting requirements for businesses and child care providers enrolled in the Partner Up! program? 

The business must keep their BCCA informed of any changes in employees participating in the program. However, they are not required to submit regular reports. Child care providers who have families that are part of the Partner Up! program will be asked to take a quarterly Program Review. While providers will not be audited as part of the program, the survey will help DCF with overall program evaluation. 

I already have a signed Partner Up! contract. Can I add more slots for new employees?

No. You may not add new slots to your contract. If an employee leaves or no longer needs a child care slot, you may fill that open slot with a different employee. You must work with your BCCA on any changes to your contract or slots. 

Can someone in the Partner Up! program change providers?

It may be possible. The business should reach out to their BCCA, who will then negotiate the termination of the current provider’s contract and then start a new contract with the new provider.

I am a child care provider, what should I do if a business is not paying me their portion of the true cost of care?

Please contact your Business Child Care Advocate (BCCA) so that they can help connect you with your partnering business. Additionally, child care providers are copied on the monthly invoice emails to the businesses, so you are encouraged to reach out to the business directly. 

If a business falls a couple of months behind, please email DCFMBDECEProjectGrowth@wisconsin.gov to let DCF know, and we can determine if the contract needs to be terminated.

How will I receive payments after December 1, 2023?

DCF took over the program beginning December 1, 2023 for November services. At this point in time, providers receive payment through their FIS accounts that they have set up for similar programs, such as Child Care Counts. Payment letters are also uploaded to your Child Care Provider Portal each month. 

I have not received payment for care from DCF or SFTA. Who can I contact to look into these missing payments?

Payments are sent out to providers from DCF at the beginning of each month for the previous month’s care. For example, payments received at the beginning of December were for care provided during the month of November.

If you are missing any payments, please fill out our Partner Up! issues form.

Who do I contact to get a copy of my contract or past invoices?

You can contact DCF at DCFMBDECEProjectGrowth@wisconsin.gov to get a copy of your contract. If you need updates to your contract, please fill out the Partner Up! issues form.

How do I find my missing invoices?

If you are missing invoices for care provided prior to December 1, 2023, please contact your BCCA and they should be able to help you locate these missing invoices. If you are missing invoices for care provided after December 1, 2023, please check your Child Care Provider Portal for your Payment Letter, or email DCFMBDECEProjectGrowth@wisconsin.gov.

How do I make changes to an existing contract?

If you need updates to your contract, please fill out the Partner Up! issues form.

Can I add a new child care slot to my existing contract?

No. Once you have a contract in place, you can only swap one child for another if an employee leaves or no longer needs care. You cannot add new slots to your contract.