Get Kids Ready Frequently Asked Questions - For Child Care Providers 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. General When does Get Kids Ready Start? The Get Kids Ready program will begin during the 2026-27 school year. Will the Get Kids Ready program continue beyond the 2026-27 school year? Yes. According to current law, the Get Kids Ready program will continue beyond the 2026-27 school year. The program is intended to continue year after year. Who is considered a child care provider for Get Kids Ready? A child care provider means someone licensed under Wis. Stat. § 48.65 or certified under Wis. Stat. § 48.651. How do families and communities know which child care providers will be participating in Get Kids Ready? DCF is required to publicly post on its website a list of all participating child care providers, contact information, and the number of spaces available by February 15 each year. What will the adult to child ratio for children participating in Get Kids Ready be? Child care programs must follow their regulatory requirements for staff-to-child ratios. Ratio and group rules for each regulation type can be found here: Table DCF 202.08(6) for certified child care programs Table DCF 250.055 for licensed family child care programs Table DCF 251.055 for licensed group child care programs Table DCF 252.425 for licensed day camps Can child care providers withdraw from Get Kids Ready after submitting an Intent to Participate? Yes. Child care providers can withdraw from Get Kids Ready after submitting an Intent to Participate. They can do so by not submitting a Program Eligibility Verification Application. Can a child get Wisconsin Shares authorization for the hours they're participating in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Get Kids Ready hours may be included in the child’s Wisconsin Shares authorization. Where can questions about Get Kids Ready be directed? All questions can be submitted through the Get Kids Ready Inquiry form. Staff will review your question and respond as soon as possible. Eligibility Legal, Financial and Regulatory Requirements What legal requirements do child care providers need to meet to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? To be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready, child care providers must comply with all state and federal laws that govern child care operations in Wisconsin. What financial requirements do child care providers need to meet to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? To be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready, child care providers must be repaying any overpayments and/or in compliance with any Repayment Agreement if any Wisconsin Shares, Partner Up!, Child Care Counts, or Child Care Bridge Payments overpayments are owed. Providers may not charge tuition or any program-specific fees for Get Kids Ready programming. They may charge tuition and fees for children who participate in Get Kids Ready for other care provided outside of Get Kids Ready hours. What regulatory requirements do child care providers need to meet to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? To be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready, child care providers must be licensed or certified, in compliance with child care background check requirements, in compliance with administrative rules for child care providers as outlined by the DCF Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR), and not currently subject to a revocation, suspension, or denial of a license or certification. Will child care providers participating in Get Kids Ready need to meet child health and safety standards? Yes. Child care providers are required to be licensed or certified to participate in Get Kids Ready. Each regulated program is required to meet health and safety standards as defined by their regulation status, and DCF or local certification agencies monitor programs at least annually to ensure these standards are being met. Are license-exempt public school programs eligible to participle in Get Kids Ready? No. Only licensed and certified child care programs are eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready. Are licensed child care providers that are administered by or operate under contract with a school district eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Any licensed or certified child care provider – including a school district – can participate in Get Kids Ready as long as they meet all eligibility criteria. School districts that administer or contract to administer a licensed child care program (i.e. licensed and regulated through DCF) are eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready if they meet all eligibility criteria. Reminder: Under law, license exempt public school providers are not eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready. Further, under law, providers that contract with a school district to provide four-year-old kindergarten are not eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready. Are private schools eligible to participle in Get Kids Ready? Private schools are only eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready if they are licensed or certified. Are private schools that participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Racine Parental Choice Program, or Wisconsin Parental Choice Program but also operate or contract to operate a licensed child care program eligible for Get Kids Ready? Any licensed or certified child care provider is eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready as long as that provider meets all other eligibility requirements. Similar to public school districts, private schools that participate in choice programs that also operate as a licensed or certified child care provider under Wis. Stat. §§ 48.56 or 48.651 and meet all other eligibility requirements are eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready. Similar to public schools that operate both 4K and a separate licensed child care program, a private school’s licensed child care program must provide 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per year that are separate from their 4K hours in a choice program. Can Head Start Programs participate in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Head Start programs can participate in Get Kids Ready if they meet all Get Kids Ready eligibility requirements. I have more than one location under my provider number. Is eligibility to participate determined at a child care program’s provider number or location number? Eligibility is determined at the child care provider’s location number. Teacher Requirements In addition to an associate or bachelor’s degree, what other criteria must Get Kids Ready teachers meet? Each Get Kids Ready teacher is required to meet the provider or teacher requirements in their regulated programs. This includes requirements such as background checks, CPR and first aid training, Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) prevention training, and noncredit or credit-based coursework. Specific requirements for each regulation type can be found here: DCF 202.08(1) for certified child care programs DCF 250.05(3) for licensed family child care providers DCF 251.05(3) for licensed group child care programs DCF 252.42(2) for licensed day camps Does the Get Kids Ready teacher’s associate or bachelor’s degree have to be in early childhood education or any other specific field? No. There is no requirement that the Get Kids Ready teacher’s associate or bachelor’s degree be in a specific field. Get Kids Ready teachers are required to meet the existing provider or teacher requirements in their regulated program, such as noncredit or credit-based coursework, background checks, CPR and first aid training, and abusive head trauma prevention training. Specific requirements for each regulation type can be found here: DCF 202.08(1) for certified child care programs DCF 250.05(3) for licensed family child care providers DCF 251.05(3) for licensed group child care programs DCF 252.42(2) for licensed day camps Other training or requirements are at the provider’s discretion. Does the requirement for Get Kids Ready teachers to have an associate or bachelor’s degree apply to Assistant Teachers? No. The requirement for Get Kids Ready teachers to have an associate or bachelor’s degree only applies to Lead Teachers. 4K Contracts with School Districts Can a child care provider have a contract with a K12 district to provide the 4K Community Approach and also participate in Get Kids Ready? No. A child care provider cannot have a contract with a school district to provide the 4K Community Approach and also participate in Get Kids Ready. For child care providers that have children enrolled across multiple school districts and have 4K Community Approach contracts with only some of those school districts, can the child care provider participate in Get Kids Ready on behalf of those children who reside in a school district that the child care provider does not have a 4K Community Approach contract with? No. According to state statute, if a child care provider has an active contract with any school district to provide the 4K Community Approach in a given school year, they are not eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready for that school year. This is the case regardless of the school district of residence of enrolled children or the school district with which the child care program holds a contract. Can child care providers have contracts with a school district for services other than providing 4K and participate in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Child care providers can have contracts with a school district for services other than providing 4K and participate in Get Kids Ready. The only contract with a school district that would prevent a child care provider from participating in Get Kids Ready is a contract to provide 4K for the year the child care provider intends to participate in Get Kids Ready. If a child care provider currently has a contract with a school district to provide 4K, when would they need to end their contract by to be eligible for Get Kids Ready? DCF and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) recommend that child care providers who are considering ending a pre-existing contract with a school district engage the district in a conversation about how the provider and district may continue to coordinate services for 4 year-olds in their community to ensure an effective transition to 5K. By law, the start of the school year is July 1. A child care provider must end or not renew their 4K contract with the school district before the start of the school year for which they plan to participate in Get Kids Ready. Intent to Participate During the Intent to Participate, child care providers are asked to indicate the maximum number of slots they plan to make available for Get Kids Ready for the 2026-2027 school year. How will DCF use this information? This number will be the maximum number of slots the child care provider can receive payment for the school year. Child care providers can decide to make fewer slots than the maximum number they report in the Intent to Participate available, but they cannot receive payment for more slots than the maximum number. This number will also be used to calculate the estimated per-child payment amount. Application/Verification Process Teacher Requirements How will child care providers demonstrate that Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers have an associate or bachelor’s degree? In the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to select the names of their Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers from a list of teachers associated with their program in the background check system. DCF will review data from the Wisconsin Registry to determine if the selected teachers have an associate or bachelor’s degree. DCF will provide an opportunity for a separate review of that teacher’s degree attainment in the event that the Get Kids Ready Lead Teacher has a submitted an application to the Wisconsin Registry that has not yet been processed or other limited exceptions. No. Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers must hold an associate or bachelor’s degree. Child care providers are encouraged to plan for times when a Get Kids Ready Lead Teacher is not available to deliver Get Kids Ready instruction, such as sick or leave days. In these instances, a Substitute or Director with an associate or bachelor’s degree may provide Get Kids Ready instruction. Child care providers are also encouraged to build additional hours beyond the required 437 hours into their Get Kids Ready schedule to account for times when a Get Kids Ready Lead Teacher, Substitute, or Director with an associate or bachelor’s degree is not available to deliver Get Kids Ready instruction. 437 Hours of Instruction How will child care providers demonstrate that they provide 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction annually to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? In the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to upload a schedule showing how they will provide at least 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction for the school year. There is no requirement to track instructional time at the child level. Can snack, meal, or outdoor time count toward the required 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per school year? Yes. Snack, meal, and outdoor time can count toward the required 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per school year. These times provide age-appropriate opportunities for children to engage with the five (5) Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) domains. Do unexpected closure days, such as for inclement weather, count toward the required 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per school year? No. Unexpected closures, such as for inclement weather, do not count toward the required 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per school year. Providers are encouraged to build additional hours beyond the required 437 hours into their Get Kids Ready schedule to account for unexpected closures to other schedule disruptions. Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) How will child care providers demonstrate that their curriculum meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? In the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to select that their curriculum meets WMELS in one of the following ways: YoungStar: The child care program has earned the Developmentally Appropriate Environments (DAE) indicator in its YoungStar rating Accreditation: The child care program is accredited by one of the accrediting bodies accepted under DCF’s YoungStar accreditation policy Head Start: The child care program is a Head Start program with a curriculum that meets the Head Start Performance Standards Other: The child care program’s curriculum meets WMELS as demonstrated in its responses to the following questions: What information do you use to track and set goals for children’s growth and development? How do you communicate with families about their child’s growth and development? How does your curriculum meet the five WMELS domains (health and physical development, social and emotional development, language development and communication, approaches to learning, and cognition and general knowledge)? Is the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) revision process being considered for Get Kids Ready? Yes. The WMELS revisions will be considered and incorporated into Get Kids Ready. More information about Wisconsin’s Early Learning and Development Guidelines Revision Project can be found on the WMELS Revision Process webpage. 4K Contracts with School Districts How will child care providers demonstrate that they do not have a contract with a school district to provide 4K to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? During the Intent to Participate and the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to attest that they do not have a current contract with a school district to provide 4K for the school year they intend to participate in Get Kids Ready. DCF may verify this information in the case of an audit. Payments and Funding Use General Are Get Kids Ready payments made to child care providers or parents? Get Kids Ready payments are made to child care providers. Will participating child care providers receive funding for all children participating in Get Kids Ready, or only children participating in Get Kids Ready with Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy authorizations? Participating child care providers will receive funding for all children participating in Get Kids Ready. Get Kids Ready funding is not limited to children with Wisconsin Shares authorizations. Can child care providers receive Get Kids Ready payments for their own children who are in care? Yes. Child care providers can receive Get Kids Ready payments for their own children who are in care provided the children meet all eligibility criteria. How Payments are Determined How will per-child payment amounts for Get Kids Ready be determined? The maximum amount a child care provider participating in Get Kids Ready could receive per participating child is $7,045 for the 2026-27 school year. The actual payment amount child care providers will receive per participating child may be lower than $7,045 and will be determined by dividing $65 million, which is the funding allocated for the program per year, by the number of participating children. If $65 million is not enough to fund all participating children at the maximum amount of $7,045, law requires that DCF prorates (i.e. decreases) the per-child payment amount so that child care providers get payment for all participating children. When will per-child payment amounts for Get Kids Ready be determined? In February 2026, DCF will publish the range (i.e. the minimum and maximum) within which actual per-child payment amounts for the 2026-27 school year will fall. Actual per-child funding amounts will be somewhere between that minimum and maximum and will be determined based on payment applications submitted in September 2026, November 2026, February 2027, and May 2027. Will per-child payment amounts for Get Kids Ready vary across counties? No. Get Kids Ready per-child payment amounts will not vary by county. The payment amounts will be the same for all participating children. Will Get Kids Ready payments be based on child enrollment, hours of instruction, or both? Get Kids Ready payments will be based on child enrollment in each of the four Payment Count Periods throughout the school year (August 17 – September 11, October 12 – November 16, January 11 – February 5, and April 12 – May 7). The number of hours of Get Kids Ready instruction delivered per Count Period will not be considered in determining payment amounts. To clarify the impact of this, consider two example child care programs, both of which serve 20 children in Get Kids Ready, with one providing Get Kids Ready instruction over 10 months and the other providing Get Kids Ready instruction over 6 months. Note: these examples assume Get Kids Ready payments will be set at the maximum of $7,045 per child: Example Child Care Program 1 Children Enrolled in Get Kids Ready: 20 Dates of Get Kids Ready programming: September 7 – June 4 Number of Weeks of Get Kids Ready instruction: 38 Average Weekly Hours of Get Kids Ready instruction: 11 Payment Schedule: September: $35,225 November: $35,225 February: $35,225 May: $35,225 Total: $140,900 Example Child Care Program 2 Children Enrolled in Get Kids Ready: 20 Dates of Get Kids Ready programming: January 4 – June 30 Number of Weeks of Get Kids Ready instruction: 25 Average Weekly Hours of Get Kids Ready instruction: 17.5 Payment Schedule: September: $0 November: $0 February: $35,225 May: $35,225 Total: $70,450 Does a child care provider need to offer Get Kids Ready instruction in the summer to receive the full annual per-child payment for Get Kids Ready? No. Child care providers do not need to offer Get Kids Ready instruction in the summer to receive the full annual per-child payment. Children must be enrolled at least one day during each of the four quarterly count periods to for child care providers to receive full payment. The Count Periods are: August 17 – September 11 October 12 – November 16 January 11 – February 5 April 12 – May 7 There is no Count Period in June or July. Use of Funds What are the allowable uses of Get Kids Ready funds? Child care providers may use Get Kids Ready funds on any costs associated with providing the Get Kids Ready program. Is there a timeframe by which child care providers must spend Get Kids Ready funds? No. There is not a timeframe by which child care providers must spend Get Kids Ready funds. If a provider closes prior to completing the 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction for the school year, will they be required to return any Get Kids Ready funds they received? Child care providers will be reimbursed based on enrollment during each Count Period. They will not be required to return any funds they received for the Count Periods during which they had children enrolled and delivered Get Kids Ready instruction. Providers that close permanently will be unenrolled from the program and no longer eligible for subsequent funding. Can Head Start programs count Get Kids Ready payments toward non-federal share? At this time, Head Start programs cannot count Get Kids Ready payments toward non-federal share. DCF is exploring whether this will be possible in future years. Financial Questions (FIS, Taxes) Are Get Kids Ready payments taxable? All payment programs are taxable income. For further questions on how these funds impact your tax situation, please consult with a Certified Public Account (CPA) or tax attorney. Enrolling Families What is the definition of child enrollment for Get Kids Ready? A child is considered enrolled in Get Kids Ready if they: Have a completed, provider-accepted child application on file with the provider Are enrolled with the intent to attend all Get Kids Ready instruction offered by the provider (see the example below) Attend Get Kids Ready at that provider at least one day during the Count Period Example: If a child care provider schedules their Get Kids Ready program to deliver instruction daily, Monday through Friday, a child who is enrolled to attend only Tuesday and Thursday could not be considered enrolled in Get Kids Ready. However, a child can be considered enrolled if they are enrolled in Get Kids Ready Monday through Friday but miss days, such as sick or vacation days. Note: A child that enrolls at the child care provider mid-way through the Get Kids Ready school year can be considered enrolled for the relevant Service Period as long as they are enrolled with the intent to attend all Get Kids Ready instruction and meet the other criteria listed above. Which children can participate in Get Kids Ready? A child is eligible to participate if: They are 4 on or before Sept 1 of the school year they plan to participate The child’s parent or guardian submits an application to participate in the program, on a form prepared by DCF, to a participating provider A participating child care provider has accepted the child’s application to attend Get Kids Ready Are children who are 5-years-old on or before September 1 of the school year eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? A child who is already 5-years-old on September 1, such as a child with a summer birthday whose family chooses to delay kindergarten entry, is eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready. However, children enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten are not eligible. When can child care providers start enrolling children in Get Kids Ready? Child care providers can begin enrolling children for Get Kids Ready at any time, but services cannot begin until after July 1, 2026. However, DCF will not be able to verify child care provider eligibility until the Program Eligibility Verification Application is submitted by May 15, 2026. DCF will make eligibility determinations on a rolling basis and no later than June 2, 2026. We encourage providers to be confident that they meet all eligibility requirements before beginning enrollment. Do children need to be enrolled in Get Kids Ready by a certain date? No. Providers have a maximum number of slots, which is established in the Intent to Participate, but a child can enroll at any time by completing the Child Application as long as the provider has available slots and accepts the Child Application. Enrollment can be verified by attendance records. Can child care providers charge families tuition for the required 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per year? No. Child care providers cannot charge families tuition for Get Kids Ready. Participating providers will receive state funding for those hours. Child care providers can charge families for additional time that children are in care beyond the Get Kids Ready instruction hours. Can child care providers charge fees, such as snack fees, field trip fees, or supply fees for participation in Get Kids Ready? No. Child care providers cannot charge fees such as snack, field trip, or supply fees for participation in Get Kids Ready. Participating providers will receive state funding for costs associated with Get Kids Ready instruction. Providers can charge fees to children participating in Get Kids Ready for hours or activities outside of Get Kids Ready hours. Can child care providers charge an enrollment fee for general administrative expenses to children who only participate in Get Kids Ready, not any other care? Yes. Child care providers can charge an enrollment fee for general administrative expenses to children who only participate in Get Kids Ready, not any other care. Reminder: Child care providers cannot charge fees such as snack, field trip, or supply fees for that are specific to participation in Get Kids Ready. Participating providers will receive state funding for costs associated with Get Kids Ready instruction. Providers can charge fees to children participating in Get Kids Ready for hours or activities outside of Get Kids Ready hours. Can a child participate in Get Kids Ready at a child care provider and also attend school district-provided 4K? Yes. A child can participate in Get Kids Ready at a child care provider and also attend a school district-provided 4K program. For example, a child can attend a district 4K program in the morning and also attend a Get Kids Ready program at a child care provider in the afternoon. However, a child care provider cannot participate in both Get Kids Ready and have. Community 4K contact with a district. Can a child move from one child care provider offering Get Kids Ready to another? Yes. A child may move from one child care provider participating in Get Kids Ready to another as long as they meet the child eligibility criteria. A child is eligible to participate if: They are 4-years-old on or before Sept 1 of the school year they plan to participate The child’s parent or guardian submits an application to participate in the program, on a form prepared by DCF, to a participating provider A participating child care provider has accepted the child’s application to attend Get Kids Ready. Audit What records should child care providers participating in Get Kids Ready keep in the event of an audit? Child care providers should keep all original documentation supporting their Program Eligibility Verification Application and Payment Applications, including verification of the following: All children enrolled in Get Kids Ready meet the age-based eligibility for participation, and the provider retains the child application form for each child. Evidence, such as a schedule, that the provider provided at least 437 hours of instruction in elementary school readiness per school year. Evidence, such as child attendance records, that participating children were enrolled with the intent to attend all Get Kids Ready instruction offered by the provider and that they attended Get Kids Ready at the provider at least one day during the count period. Evidence, such as financial records, that the provider did not charge tuition for Get Kids Ready instructional hours or fees for Get Kids Ready programming. Evidence, such as a Wisconsin Registry Certificate, transcript, or diploma, that Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers hold an associate or bachelor’s degree. Evidence, such as documentation of meeting the Developmentally Appropriate Environments indicator from YoungStar, accreditation, being a Head Start program, or answers to the “Other” WMELS demonstration questions in the Program Eligibility Verification Application, that the provider implemented a curriculum that meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS). Providers must retain all original documentation for at least five (5) years from the date of the last payment under Get Kids Ready program. Miscellaneous Can child care providers deliver Get Kids Ready instruction in mixed-age classrooms? Yes. Child care providers may deliver Get Kids Ready instruction in mixed-age classrooms. However, child care providers may only receive Get Kids Ready funding for children who meet the eligibility requirements, which include being 4-years-old on or before September 1 of the year they plan to participate. Will special education services be provided to children participating in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Under federal law, a school district is legally obligated to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment to any child ages three to twenty one who is eligible for special education services. For preschool age children including those participating in Get Kids Ready in licensed or certified child care providers, these requirements apply regardless of where and how the child is accessing early childhood programming. Are child care providers participating in Get Kids Ready required to provide transportation for children? No. Child care providers participating in Get Kids Ready are not required to provide transportation for participating children. Participating child care providers can choose to offer transportation. If a child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), does the school district have to pay for transportation to the child care provider offering Get Kids Ready? The school district is only required to provide transportation if transportation is specifically included as a related service in the child’s IEP. Otherwise, the district would not be responsible for providing or paying for transportation. Will there be a certificate of completion or formal recognition for children who participate in Get Kids Ready? No. There will not be a state-issued certificate of completion or formal recognition for children who participate in Get Kids Ready. However, child care providers are welcome to create and share their own certificates or recognition materials for participating children. Does Get Kids Ready include a parent outreach requirement like what was required for a school district to receive .6 FTE funding for 4K prior to July 1, 2025? No. Get Kids Ready does not include a parent outreach requirement. In addition, please note that effective July 1, 2025, there is no longer an outreach requirement for district 4K programs. See the DPI website for more information. Will a kindergarten readiness assessment, or any other assessment, be required for children participating in Get Kids Ready? No. Wisconsin does not have a kindergarten readiness assessment. There is no assessment required for children participating in Get Kids Ready. Child care providers may choose to implement assessments, but it is not required for participation in Get Kids Ready. Is a child participating in Get Kids Ready required to participate in a statewide fundamental literacy skills screener under 2023 Wisconsin Act 20? No. Children participating in Get Kids Ready are not required to participate in a statewide fundamental literacy skills screener under 2023 WI Act 20. Under Wis. Stat. §118.016(2), only children participating in a 4K or 4K Community Approach program at a school district or independent charter school are required to participate in a statewide fundamental literacy skills screening. Will 2023 WI Act 20 professional learning requirements be required of Get Kids Ready teachers? No. Act 20 professional learning requirements are not required of Get Kids Ready teachers.
