How to Apply for the Wisconsin Shares Program Follow the steps below to learn how you can apply for the Wisconsin Shares program and how to be successful in the program after being found eligible. Step 1: Apply for Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy You can complete an application by: Applying Online or by Calling or visiting your local Income Maintenance Agency. Applying Online Use the State’s online application tool, ACCESS, to apply for Wisconsin Shares Child Care assistance. ACCESS is easy to use, and it does not take long to apply online. By using ACCESS, you can also apply for FoodShare, HealthCare, and Family Planning. Once you have applied, you may install the MyACCESS App on your mobile phone to access your benefits anytime and anywhere. In Person or by Telephone Unsure of where to apply for Wisconsin Shares? Take a look at the Where to Apply Map to find your local Income Maintenance Agency and its contact information. If you live in Milwaukee County, please start your application process online or call Milwaukee Enrollment Services (MilES), the local income maintenance agency, at: 1-888-947-6583. Select option one (1) for child care. You will then be provided with two options. Select option one (1) again when asked if you are calling to apply or if you have eligibility questions. Or visit: Coggs Center 1220 W. Vliet Street Milwaukee, WI 53205 MilES staff will complete the application process with you. Step 2: Complete an Eligibility Interview Before you can receive Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy, you must meet the eligibility guidelines. Read more about the guidelines in the Wisconsin Shares Eligibility Guidelines brochure. Spanish Income To become eligible, your family’s monthly gross income must not be more than 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). After you have been determined eligible, you can remain financially eligible until your income reaches 85% of the state median income. These figures are updated annually. For example in 2020, for a family of three, with one parent and two children, if the parent works 40 hours a week at $16.31 per hour, the family would be found financially eligible and would remain financially eligible until the parent’s hourly wage was $31.79. Approved Activity This is the activity that qualifies you for eligibility. Examples of approved activities are: Working A combination of work and school Participation in the Wisconsin Works (W-2) or Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF) programs Attending high school if you are under 20 years old Certain components of the FoodShare Employment and Training Program (FSET). Verification You will be asked to verify certain information. Some of the documents that may help you meet verification requirements are: Driver’s license, photo ID card, or U.S. passport Social Security Number for children who need subsidy Certified copy of child’s official birth certificate if not born in Wisconsin Proof of U.S. citizenship for children who need subsidy; parents do not need U.S. citizenship to be eligible to receive child care subsidy Proof of your address The last 30 days of dated paycheck stubs Child Support Cooperation If you are not married to and/or living with your child’s other parent, or if paternity has not been established for your child, you will need to cooperate with the Child Support Agency in order to be eligible for Wisconsin Shares. You will be asked to provide information to the Child Support Agency to help them find your child’s other parent and require that parent to pay child support. You will be required to attend all scheduled appointments with the Child Support Agency, hearings, or other legal proceedings. If the other parent causes you to fear for your safety or the safety of your child, you may request an exemption from cooperating with the Child Support Agency because of your safety concerns. Eligibility Notice After you have provided your verification and other requested information, the agency will determine your eligibility. If you applied online or have an ACCESS account, you may visit ACCESS to find out if you are eligible to receive Wisconsin Shares. You will receive a Notice of Eligibility. If you are found eligible, you must then contact your local agency to provide information on the child care provider you have selected. Step 3: Select a Child Care Provider The child care provider you select must have room for your child, must be participating in YoungStar, must be licensed or certified, and must be open during the times you need child care. Use the Child Care Finder to help find quality child care in your area. Child care providers set their own prices. It is important to know the provider's price because the Child Care Subsidy will not cover the full cost of child care. Your portion of the cost is known as the Parent Share. To help find out what your Parent Share might be, please see the Maximum Rate Chart. Here you will compare a provider's price to the maximum amount the subsidy can pay. In addition, your subsidy will be reduced by a copayment amount based on your income and household size, and is adjusted annually at your renewal. Learn more about the Wisconsin Shares Copayment Schedule. Parent Share You are responsible for paying any amount your child care provider charges that is not covered by your subsidy amount. Ask your provider for their payment policies. Read Your Guide to Choosing Child Care for some handy tips. YoungStar Is Wisconsin’s Quality Rating and Improvement System In order to receive a Wisconsin Shares authorization, a child care provider must be participating in YoungStar. In the Child Care Finder you can find detailed information on each child care program's YoungStar rating, its hours, location, accreditation, and monitoring results. It is important to look at both the YoungStar and the health and safety monitoring information for each child care provider, since they show different things. Step 4: Request an Authorization for Child Care Subsidy You will provide your child care provider's name and address, your approved activity schedule, and the times that your child will need child care to your local agency worker. This information will be used to create your authorization. For families living in Milwaukee County, once you have been found eligible for child care subsidy, visit or call: Milwaukee Early Care Administration (MECA) Call 1-888-947-6583: Select option one (1) for Child Care. You will be provided with two options. Select the second option (2) about requesting an authorization. Or visit: Coggs Center 1220 W. Vliet Street - 2nd Floor Milwaukee, WI 53205 Learn more about the Milwaukee Early Care Administration (MECA) and their hours. If you have an ACCESS account, you may request an authorization by using the Parent Portal. When a worker receives your request for an authorization, they will either call you or message you back in the MyWIChildCare Parent Portal. You may also set up text message alerts through the Parent Portal when a local agency worker sends you a message. Authorization Notice Your authorization will list your children, your child care provider, the number of monthly hours for each child, and the dollar amount that will be loaded to your EBT card for the month. You will also receive a Quarterly Authorization Notice in the mail or in the Parent Portal. Every three months, you will receive a notice telling you about your upcoming child care authorizations. You will get a new notice if you make changes to your authorization(s). A notice will also be sent when your authorization ends. Information about each of your children’s subsidy amount will be included on the same quarterly notice. Find more about how your Authorization Notice will look and other helpful information in the Understanding Your Authorization Notice brochure. Spanish How Do I Get My Benefits? Your benefits will be issued on an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card. You will receive your MyWIChildCare EBT card in the mail after your authorization is set up. About the MyWIChildCare EBT Card When your authorization has been established, your EBT card will be sent through the mail with instructions for activating your card and setting up your Personal Identification Number (PIN). To activate the card, call the Fidelity National Information Service (FIS) customer service line (1-877-201-7601), or visit the ebtEdge website to create an account. The EBT card will be used for future authorizations. You will not need to get a new card for a new authorization. Step 5: Pay Your Provider Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy funds are loaded onto the EBT card. Subsidy funds for each of your children will be on the same card, regardless of how many children you have or providers you use. You can use the funds only to pay the provider listed on your authorization. (This card cannot be used at an ATM or as a debit card.) There are three (3) ways you can pay your child care provider: Online - You may visit the FIS website at ebtedge.com to log into your account and make payment online. Telephone - You may call the FIS customer service line (1-877-201-7601) and pay over the phone. It is important to have your card number with you before making the call. At your provider’s location - Some child care providers have a Point of Sale (POS) device at their location. If this is the easiest method for you, please ask your child care provider if they have a POS device that you can use to make the payment. Step 6: Report Your Changes Notify your local Income Maintenance Agency within 10 calendar days after any change the Wisconsin Shares child care program requires you to report. If there is a change to your income, depending on when the change occurs and when it is reported, it may not impact your monthly subsidy amount until your renewal. The changes that need to be reported include, but are not limited to: A new home address Change in income Loss of job Change in size of household Change in marital status A change in child care need A full list of the reporting requirements will be found on your Authorization Notice. Step 7: Renew Eligibility Annually Your eligibility must be renewed annually. During your annual eligibility review you will follow the same process as described in Steps 1 and 2, including the interview and verification of all eligibility items. You must complete much of the same verification as was done at your initial eligibility. Following your annual renewal you will get a new authorization based on your new information.
