May 9 Child Care Provider Updates Reminder: Submit Your Application for Partner Up! by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 12 The Partner Up! grant program provides funding to support partnerships between businesses who purchase slots at existing regulated child care providers. The various Partner Up! cohorts have been funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act (CRRSA), the Preschool Development Grant (PDG), and Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy and Training (QUEST). Who Should Apply: Businesses with two or more employees Regulated child care providers who want to help sponsor the cost of their employees’ child care Note: Governmental entities are not eligible for Partner Up! grants. There are resources on the Partner Up! webpage that will help you apply. At the bottom of the page, you can expand the accordions to view these. As a reminder, if you only want to partner with a business to provide care for children through Partner Up!, you do not need to submit a Partner Up! application. Instead, you should contact your local CCR&R to let them know you are interested in accepting families for Partner Up! If you are interested in reducing the cost of care for your own employees, then you need to submit a Partner Up! application for your child care business. The competitive application period for Cohort 3 of the Partner Up! grant program is now open! Submit your application by May 12, 2023 at 5 p.m. CST. Learn more about Partner Up! and submit your application on the DCF website. The Next Tuesday Talks with DECE is May 16: Child Care Counts and YoungStar Updates Tuesday Talks with DECE are held the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next webinar is May 16 at 1:30 p.m. and we will discuss Child Care Counts (Round 3 and Program C) and YoungStar updates. Registration is not required for these events. Visit the DCF Tuesday Talks with DECE webpage to access the Zoom link and learn about future topics. Learn more about Tuesday Talks on the DCF website. Free Foundational Child Care Training Courses Ending May 31 Beginning in June of 2022, the Department of Children and Families provided funding for free Foundational Child Care Training courses. To date, 7,571 verified attendees took advantage of these free courses! The funding for these free Child Care Foundational Training courses closes at the end of this month - May 31, 2023. Beginning June 1, 2023, the courses will still be offered, but at a cost. Check out the DCF Approved Training Agencies Offering Noncredit Child Care Courses publication and the Wisconsin Registry Statewide Training Calendar for the list of agencies currently offering Foundational Child Care Training courses. April Child Care Counts Application Period is Closed The latest payment program application period is closed. Applications for the April Child Care Counts: Stabilization Payment Program are being reviewed. Providers will be notified of their eligibility for funds by May 19, 2023, via a payment letter uploaded to the Child Care Provider Portal. Child Care Counts Round 3 Begins May 2023 The initial application period is May 20 – June 4, 2023. The Count Weeks for the May application period are May 7-20. Keep your records handy and organized during Count Week. All providers are required to upload child and staff records when submitting your initial application. See the Child Care Counts webpage and read the Round 3 Terms and Conditions for details and important changes. Watch for additional webpage updates coming soon. View the April Tuesday Talks recording for highlights about Round 3. Spending Deadline Reminder All Stabilization Payment Program funds must be spent within 120 days from the date of the payment letter. December 2022 funds must be spent by May 13, 2023. If you need assistance, email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov or call and speak with a Support Center Specialist at 608-535-3650. Child Care Counts Información en español.
