February 28 Child Care Provider Updates Child Care Counts February Application Period is Closed The latest payment program application period is closed. Applications for the February Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program are being reviewed. Providers will be notified of their eligibility for funds by March 17, via a payment letter uploaded to the Child Care Provider Portal. The next update/application period March 20-24. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Application Weeks. Review last week’s Child Care Counts News and Updates about Round 3 dates and deadlines, Payment Program C, and the enhanced Child Care Counts Support Center. If you need assistance, please email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov or call and speak with a Support Center Specialist at 608-535-3650. Child Care Counts Información en español. Revisions to DCF 250, 251, and 252 – Effective March 1 The department is revising child care licensing rules that go into effect on March 1, 2023. The primary purpose of the rule revisions was to update rules relating to school-age only programs. While revising those rules, the department decided to look at all licensing rules to determine where revisions were needed. All licensed providers will receive a memo summarizing the rule changes for family and group child care, day camps, and public school-operated programs. The department will be offering in-person and virtual trainings for providers to review and discuss new rules. Information regarding the dates, times, locations, and rule groups for each training event can be located on the DCF website. Rule revisions will also be covered in a high-level overview during Tuesday Talks with DECE on March 21, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. Computer-based trainings covering rule revisions are also available on the Rule Revisions webpage for those providers who are unable to attend an in-person or virtual training, as well as other rule revision resources, including rulebooks with track changes and rules at-a-glance. If you have any questions, please contact your regional licensing office. Additional Resources Child Care Rulemaking Projects and Training Dates Tuesday Talks with DECE DCF 250, Family Child Care Rules Online Training DCF 251, Group Child Care Rules Online Training DCF 252, Day Camp Rules Online Training Child Care Licensing Contacts Reminder: Radon Testing Updates for Child Care Centers Do you have high levels of radon in your in-home or center-based child care center? Starting March 2023, licensed family and group child care programs will be required to regularly test for radon in their centers. You can fix a radon problem, and there are over 100 certified professionals throughout Wisconsin who are here to help with mitigation! See the Department of Health Services (DHS) Radon Measurement and Mitigation Contractors website to find a contractor in your area today! Other Radon Resources Radon 101 Video from DHS Instructions for Testing Your Home for Radon Radon: How to Test (video) YoungStar Listening Sessions – March 2 In partnership with DCF, Shine Early Learning will be hosting in-person listening sessions in each region to learn about challenges, needs, and successes. These sessions will help guide statewide and regional program and resource development on both the quality and regulation side of early care and education. Join us in Appleton on March 2 for this YoungStar Listening Session. Use the RSVP link to register for the session. Appleton | RSVPThursday, March 2, 20236-8 p.m.Poplar Hall141 S. Riverheath Way, Appleton, WI 54915 As soon as venues are finalized, we will send region-specific information for the below sessions: Eau Claire | March 9 – 6-8 p.m. Rhinelander | March 16 – 6-8 p.m. Milwaukee | March 30 – 6-8 p.m. Additional in-person sessions in Spanish will be scheduled in April, as well as a virtual session in late March/early April. Wisconsin Afterschool Network Virtual Summer Staff Series The Wisconsin Afterschool Network is offering a summer series on March 7 and 21. This summer series will focus on recruitment and retention of staff with a foundation in wellness. Sign up for two half-day workshops that target recruitment and retention with a wellness focus that will keep your staff engaged, enthused, and wanting to not just work with you, but return every day and every season. March 7 – 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Getting Staff in the Door with a Wellness LensLearn about: Generational values and differences and how they affect wellness How to care for staff in a different world How to have tough conversations March 21 – 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Keep Staff Well and Coming Back for MoreLearn about: Reframing stress and handy tools to manage stress How to help staff make plans they can use How one program is implementing wellness in programming Register to join the conversation! Promoting Early Childhood 2023 Virtual Conference – March 8-9 Join other early childhood professionals at this year’s virtual Promoting Early Childhood Conference: Cultivate Thriving Communities from March 8-9. You will be a part of sharing strategies, positive practices, and innovative ideas where early learning communities connect and collaborate to grow and thrive. This conference is sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in partnership with the Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners (WECCP). Registration closes March 3 and costs $70. The conference takes place from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day. View the draft schedule for speaker details. Learn more about the conference. Put Money Back in Your Program’s Pocket Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN), a program of WECA, is providing free coaching with national expert Civitas Strategies to help Wisconsin child care business owners recoup federal tax credits – more than $540,000 to date! Both family child care and center-based providers may be eligible to receive credits via the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) and the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA). If your program is not already enrolled in WEESSN, you will need to join first. That’s easy: joining WEESSN is FREE and comes with many benefits to support your child care business. Learn more about WEESSN and join today! Wisconsin Shares Policy Reminder: Employee Discounts Child care providers may offer discounts to employees who receive Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy funds. Please remind employees who receive Wisconsin Shares that they are responsible for reporting their discount to their local agency. Discounts must also be described on the Provider Parent Payment Agreement form. Providers should only accept the subsidy amount they are charging with the discount. A provider may not charge a parent who receives Wisconsin Shares a higher child care price than a private pay parent unless the difference is due to the children being in different age ranges or a child's disability status. Questions? Please contact your local agency. Reminder: DECE is Hiring Multiple Positions The Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration is recruiting to fill two Section Manager positions: a Program Integrity Section Manager and a Wisconsin Shares Policy Section Manager. Please see the posting for further details. The deadline to apply for these positions is March 3. The Department of Children and Families offers excellent benefits and a flexible, hybrid work environment with many positions having the ability to work primarily remote. To learn more about the position and to apply, visit Wisc.Jobs.
