December 12 Child Care Provider Updates Child Care Counts December Application Issues Fixed On Monday, December 11, many providers reported issues when entering child information on their December Child Care Counts application. Thank you for informing us of these technical difficulties. DCF has resolved the issues and the Child Care Provider Portal is now functioning properly. Please complete and submit your December Child Care Counts application by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, 2023. As a reminder, you must review, update, and resubmit your application every month. See the Child Care Counts Calendar for future Count and Update Weeks. Review the Updating Your Child Care Counts Information During Update Week video to learn how to make application modifications during Update Week. Have questions while updating your application? See our Resources section for videos, application guides, and tools for answers to your questions. If you need assistance, please email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov or call and speak with a Support Center Specialist at 608-535-3650. Note: The Support Center is not open on weekends. Child Care Counts Información en español. Child Care Counts Round 4 Information and Important Dates You’ve been asking about future Child Care Counts payment information and DCF is sharing important high-level information about Rounds 4 and 5 to help you plan for the future. Thanks to an additional $170 million in emergency funding that Gov. Tony Evers has directed to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Child Care Counts will continue through June 2025. See the Round 4 webpage to read about: Overview of Round 4 Round 4 payment program runs February 2024 – June 2024 Application/Update and Count Weeks for Round 4 Add these dates to your calendar Round 5 Preview Round 5 payment program runs July 2024 – June 2025 Full details for both rounds will be available closer to the start of each round. Keep an eye on our website for additional updates. Spanish Instructions for Accessing the Provider Portal Now Available Instructions for Accessing the Child Care Provider Portal (CCPP) are now available in Spanish. Watch the training video, access CCPP user guides, and learn about everything you can do in the Provider Portal! Encourage Your Families to Use the Parent Portal Do you currently serve families that utilize Wisconsin Shares subsidy? The MyWIChildCare Parent Portal can make managing authorizations easier. On the Parent Portal, families can: View their child care authorizations Schedule an appointment for an authorization request Request a new authorization or make changes to a current authorization Check the balance on their MyWIChildCare EBT card and track payments Sign up to receive a text message alert on their cell phone when they have a new message in the Parent Portal Track all authorization requests entered in the Parent Portal using the Track My Requests button Learn more about the Parent Portal and help educate families about using the Parent Portal to make their authorization process less complicated and faster. Consider sharing this information in your parent emails or monthly newsletter! Thank you for helping DCF share family-friendly approaches to managing their Wisconsin Shares subsidy. Reminder: DCF Can Help Families Receiving Wisconsin Shares Pay Your Program’s Registration Fees Have you updated your prices and fees in the Child Care Provider Portal? In October, DCF began paying registration fees for families who have Wisconsin Shares authorizations. Parents with authorizations are able to receive funds to pay registration fees up to $125 twice in a rolling 12-month period. To ensure families can access this funding, make sure you’ve updated your fees in the Child Care Provider Portal or with your local agency. This is for providers who charge a registration fee only. You do not need to charge a registration fee. Visit the Provider Registration Fee FAQs for more information. Elevated Lead Levels and Salmonella Outbreaks The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has issued notifications that applesauce and cantaloupe products are being recalled due to elevated lead levels and Salmonella outbreaks respectively. To learn more about consumer health related to these products, contact your health care provider or your local health department.
