Tuesday Talks with DECE Recordings

Expand the accordions below to watch the available recordings of Tuesday Talks with DECE.

2025 Recordings

January 21, 2025: YoungStar Analysis Summary and 2025 DECE Preview

In this Tuesday Talks, we looked ahead to things to come in 2025 and reviewed the summary created from the YoungStar Analysis Update Project.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF) and Terra Klein (DCF)

Resources

February 18, 2025: Biennial Budget and YoungStar Quality Adjustment Update

In this Tuesday Talks, Secretary-designee Jeff Pertl and others gave remarks, including about the Biennial Budget. In addition, DECE provided a short YoungStar Quality Adjustment update.

Speakers: Jeff Pertl (DCF), Priya Bhatia (DCF), Daria Hall (DCF), and Cailey Jameson (DCF)

Resources

YoungStar Quality Adjustments webpage

March 18, 2025: Licensing Back to Basics: Noncompliance Statements (CFS-294) and Online Licensing Application Updates

In this Tuesday Talks, we revisit our Licensing Back to Basics series. For this installment, we discuss Noncompliance Statements (CFS-294) and Online Licensing Application Updates.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Michelle Evans (DCF), Rosalva Melendez (DCF), and Amanda St. Martin (DCF)

Resources

April 15, 2025: Implications for the End of Child Care Counts Survey

In this Tuesday Talks, the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) joins us to discuss a child care provider survey they conducted for us about the impacts of Child Care Counts ending.

Speakers: Daria Hall (DCF), Hilary Shager (IRP), and Leisl Hostetter (IRP)

Resources

May 20, 2025: Licensing Back to Basics: Day Camps

In this Tuesday Talks, we continue our Licensing Back to Basics series with the topic of Day Camps. Learn more about background checks, common violations, and tips and hints for compliance. 

Speakers: Daria Hall (DCF) and Amanda St. Martin (DCF)

Resources

June 17, 2025: Online License Continuations and Certification Renewals

In this Tuesday Talks, we walk through the new online licensing continuation and certification renewal applications. You will see screenshots of each section and learn about resources that can help you navigate the application.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF) and Amanda St. Martin (DCF)

Resources

July 15, 2025: 2025-27 State Biennial Budget for Child Care

In this Tuesday Talks, we learn about the 2025-27 State Biennial Budget for child care, including direct investments in providers and investments to make child care more affordable for families.

We experienced technical difficulties with our recording of the July 2025 Tuesday Talks webinar. Please view a recording of DCF Secretary Pertl’s remarks on the Biennial Budget, along with the presentation slides.

Speakers: Jeff Pertl (DCF), Priya Bhatia (DCF), and Daria Hall (DCF)

Resources

August 19, 2025: Biennial Budget and Child Care Bridge Payments Updates

In this Tuesday Talks, we discuss Biennial Budget updates regarding some of the regulation pieces of the recent budget as well as give updates on the Child Care Bridge Payment Program.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Tina Feaster (DCF), and Lee Kujava (DCF)

Resources

September 16, 2025: Child Care Bridge Payments and the Wisconsin Registry

In this Tuesday Talks, we share some quick updates on Child Care Bridge Payments and then the Wisconsin Registry shares some updates they have.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Braxton Brown (DCF), and Danielle Earley (Wisconsin Registry)

Resources

October 21, 2025: Wisconsin Shares

In this Tuesday Talks, we share some quick updates on Get Kids Ready and then go into depth on recent updates to the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Kristina Trastek (DCF), Danielle Karnopp, and David Timmerman (DCF)

Resources

November 18, 2025: YoungStar Ratings Stabilization Pilot and Get Kids Ready

In this Tuesday Talks we discuss new YoungStar policy updates including an extended rating timeline for new providers and the launch of the YoungStar Rating Stabilization Pilot.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Terra Klein (DCF), and Daria Hall (DCF)

Resources

2024 Recordings

January 16, 2024: Child Care Counts, 2024 Preview, and Wisconsin Registry

This Tuesday Talks very briefly gives an update on Child Care Counts as well as a look into 2024 activities for DCF’s Division of Early Care and Education. Following those updates, the Wisconsin Registry also gives an update on their programing and the upcoming changes to their profile requirements.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Chelsey Thill (DCF), and Danielle Earley (Wisconsin Registry)

Resources

February 20, 2024: Pre-Licensing, Child Care Counts, YoungStar Quality Adjustment, and YoungStar Connect

This Tuesday Talks very briefly gives updates on Pre-Licensing, Child Care Counts, and YoungStar Quality Adjustments. Following those updates, YoungStar Connect also gives an update on their programing.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Tina Feaster (DCF), Chelsey Thill (DCF), Erin Gernetzke (YoungStar Connect), Sarah Talbot (YoungStar Connect), Becky Breda (YoungStar Connect), and Amberlee Bosse (YoungStar Connect)

Resources

March 19, 2024: Child Care Foundational Training

This Tuesday Talks covers changes coming to Child Care Foundational Training.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF) and Tina Feaster (DCF)

Resources

Child Care Foundational Training webpage

April 16, 2024: Day Camps

This Tuesday Talks covers common violations for Day Camps in 2024 as well as other topics to get Day Camps ready for summer.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Amanda St. Martin (DCF), and Rob McCoy (DCF)

Note: This video has been edited due to a mistake in information given regarding fees for background checks. As a child care provider, if you forget to remove staff from your Child Care Provider Portal and an annual background check runs, you are responsible for those charges. If you have questions about this, please visit: https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/ccbgcheck.

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May 21, 2024: Child Care Counts Round 5, Child Care Foundational Training, and YoungStar Analysis and Listening Sessions

In this Tuesday Talk, DECE gives a reminder about the upcoming Child Care Counts Round 5 information; shares updates on Child Care Foundational Trainings, as well as newly available funding; and shares updates on YoungStar, including information on the Quality Adjustment and Analysis and Listening Session work.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Terra Klein (DCF), and Tina Feaster (DCF)

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June 18, 2024: Child Care Counts and Background Check Updates

In this Tuesday Talk, DECE gives a reminder about the upcoming Child Care Counts Round 5 information and as well as a reminder for background check and fingerprint renewals.

Speakers: Daria Hall (DCF), Terra Klein (DCF), Sam Wallace (DCF), and Laura Utech (DCF)

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July 16, 2024: Child Care Counts, the Market Rate Survey, and Improvements to Wisconsin Shares

In this Tuesday Talk, DECE gives a reminder about the upcoming Child Care Counts Round 5 information, previews the 2024 Market Rate Survey, and showcases some new improvements to the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Terra Klein (DCF), Daria Hall (DCF), and Cailey Jamison (DCF)

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August 20, 2024: Child Care Counts and the Child Care Supply and Demand Survey

In this Tuesday Talk, DECE gives a reminder about Child Care Counts Round 5 information and then previews the Child Care Supply and Demand Survey results, which were collected in past Child Care Counts application surveys.

Speakers: Daria Hall (DCF), Braxton Brown (DCF), Hilary Shager (IRP), Zach Bauer (IRP), and Liesl Hostetter (IRP)

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September 17, 2024: Early Childhood Inclusion and Wisconsin Wayfinder

In this Tuesday Talk, we begin with a welcome and introduction from Secretary-designee Jeff Pertl. Then we share a few DCF resources related to Early Childhood Inclusion before hearing from the Department of Health Services’, Emily Brach, about an exciting tool called Wisconsin Wayfinder.

Speakers: Secretary-designee Jeff Pertl (DCF), Priya Bhatia (DCF), Jason Rahn (DCF), and Emily Brach (DHS)

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October 15, 2024: Wisconsin Shares and Child Care Foundational Training

In this Tuesday Talk, we begin with a recap on the upcoming Child Care Foundational Training changes and subsidy. Then we talk about upcoming Wisconsin Shares changes.

Speakers: Priya Bhatia (DCF), Tina Feaster (DCF), and Cailey Jamison (DCF)

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November 19, 2024: Child Care Counts Survey and ARPA Wrap-Up

In this Tuesday Talk, we begin with a quick review of the survey providers will expect to see in their November Child Care Counts application. Then we review all of the work accomplished through DCF with funding from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Speakers: Cailey Jamison (DCF) and Hilary Shager (IRP)

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December 17, 2024: Child Care Counts Rate Increase, Reporting Closures, and What to Expect During a Monitoring Visit

In this Tuesday Talks we briefly cover the recent Child Care Counts Rate Increase and reminders about reporting closures over the holidays. Then we launch a new series: Licensing Back to Basics! This first topic we covered during this series is: What to Expect During a Monitoring Visit. Watch this Talk to take a deeper dive into what you can expect as a licensed child care provider in Wisconsin during a monitoring visit.

Speakers: Daria Hall (DCF), Cailey Jamison (DCF), Rosalva Melendez (DCF), and Amanda St. Martin (DCF)

During our presentation on Licensing Monitoring Visits, we had some recurring questions we wanted to address and clarify:

During a monitoring visit, everyone needs to be accessible when the Licensing Specialist is there. If the director or administrator is not there, they should have a delegation who then does have access. This includes accessibility to records that may be locked in a cabinet or office. These must be made accessible at the time of a monitoring visit.
Once an individual has received their preliminary eligibility determination, they can work (or reside) at a child care center under supervision while the final background check eligibility determination is pending. Working "under supervision" requires, at a minimum, periodic direct observation by any individual with a Department of Children and Families (DCF) approved background check. The intent of this requirement is to ensure the person is supervised during the time they have access to children. The individual remains "under supervision" until the final eligibility determination has been received. This supervision may last up to 45 days (or more for complex background checks). Please note: Applicants for licensure/certification may not open their center until they have received final background check eligibility and regulatory approval.