Ratios Pilot and Enhanced Payments Pilot FAQs Información en español The FAQs are grouped generally by topic within each section below. Some questions may fall into more than one topic, so please be sure to review all sections. Ratios Pilot FAQs Will square footage per child change with the ratio changes? The biennial budget did not change the current square footage requirement per child, which remains the same at no less than 35 sq. ft. of usable floor space per child (see DCF 251.06(7)(a)). How can I increase my center’s licensed capacity? Submit a written/emailed request to your licensing specialist and follow standard procedures. I want to switch rooms for my toddlers to increase my ratios. What do I need to do? Programs need to notify their licensing specialist at least 20 days prior to changing room usage and receive approval. Contact your licensing specialist for more information. How do I know if I have enough space for more children in the classroom? DCF 251.06(7)(a) requires 35 sq. ft. of usable floor space per child. During each program’s initial licensing visit, a licensing specialist measured each classroom for usable space to determine how many children would be able to be in the space. That information was shared in a space letter. The space letter also includes which ages are approved for each room. Where do I find my space letter? Most programs will have received a space letter when they received their license. Programs can find their space letter on the Child Care Provider Portal (CCPP). I don’t have a space letter in my Provider Portal; where can I obtain a copy? Contact your licensing specialist to request your space letter. Is the mixed age ratio worksheet updated with new weights for 18 – 30 months? Yes, the Staff-to-Child Ratio Worksheet is updated and available on the department’s Child Care Licensing Forms and Publications webpage. Can I have mixed-age ratio classrooms and participate in the Ratios Pilot? Yes. Programs may be considered as participating in the Ratios Pilot if they are using mixed-age ratios classrooms as long as they have at least one child aged 18 - 30 months in that classroom and are using the revised Staff-to-Child Ratio Worksheet. My program is accredited. Is it eligible to participate in the Ratios Pilot? Accredited programs are held to additional standards set by their accrediting agency. Providers are responsible for knowing the accreditation’s staff-to-child ratio standards and determining whether they can participate in the increased Ratios Pilot. My program is a Head Start program. Is it eligible to participate in the Ratios Pilot? Head Start programs are held to additional standards set by Head Start. Providers are responsible for knowing the Head Start staff-to-child ratio standards and determining whether they can participate in the Ratios Pilot. Is there a minimum amount of time to implement the staff-to-child ratios of 1:7 for children 18-30 months? No. There is no minimum hours a program needs to be implementing the increased ratios. The Ratios Pilot is designed to increase flexibility throughout the day for programs. Where can I find help accessing the Child Care Provider Portal? See the Accessing the Child Care Provider Portal guide and Accessing the Child Care Provider Portal video for instructions on how to request access and log in to the Child Care Provider Portal. You may also visit the Accessing the Child Care Provider Portal webpage. Enhanced Payments Pilot FAQs If I do not serve families with Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy, can I participate in the Enhanced Payment Pilot? No. You must serve families who are eligible for Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy to participate in the Enhanced Payment Pilot. Per-child payments are for children with an active Wisconsin Shares Authorization. How can I begin to serve families with Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy? If you are a child care provider who wants to serve families who are eligible for Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy, visit Providers Who Want to Accept Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidies. Does every classroom with children ages 18 - 30 months need to be at 1:7 ratios to be eligible for the Enhanced Payments Pilot? No. Not every classroom caring for children ages 18 - 30 months needs to be participating in the Ratios Pilot. At least one classroom must be certified in the Ratios Pilot to be eligible for the Enhanced Payments Pilot. Does the per-child payment only apply to children who are in a classroom at 1:7 ratios? No, the child does not have to be in the classroom that is implementing 1:7 ratios in order to be eligible for the per-child payment under the Enhanced Payments Pilot. Do all children aged 0 – 30 months need to be in a classroom participating in the Ratios Pilot to receive the Enhanced Payments? No. At least one classroom in the program must be participating in the Ratios Pilot for children aged 0 – 30 months with an active Wisconsin Shares authorization to be eligible for the Enhanced Payments Pilot. If I certify in January, when will I get payment and how much will it be for? If you certify in the month of January, you will receive your first payment in early February. Your first payment will include a retrospective per-child payment for January, as well as a prospective per-child payment for February. You will continue receiving prospective payments at the beginning of each month thereafter. 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. Will I receive a 1099? Yes, you will receive a 1099-K from FIS. This will include other payments that were made to you from the Wisconsin Shares program. Still have questions? Email DCFRatiosandEnhancedPayments@wisconsin.gov.
