Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
Within 60 days after receiving a completed application for certification or recertification and satisfactory investigation and determination that the applicant is fit, the certification worker shall either approve the application and issue a certificate or deny the application.
Certification can only be issued after the child care operator has demonstrated compliance with all certification standards, including the s. 48.686, the Background Check Law. The 60-day-period starts once the completed application materials have been received by the agency and the agency has determined the applicant is “fit.”
Provisional Certification
Applicants not yet meeting pre-service training requirements may be granted Provisional certification. Provisional certification categories shall be granted for and not exceed a six (6) month period and may not be renewed or extended. For example, when granting Provisional certification in WISCCRS with a category Begin Date of 4/2/18, the Expiration Date for the Provisional category shall be 10/2/18.
Effective 4/1/18, new Provisional operators are required to complete department-approved pre-service training within 3 months after Provisional certification is granted. A new Provisional operator who does not complete pre-service training within 3 months from the date Provisional certification is granted is out of compliance and shall be issued a Non-compliance Statement. If the new Provisional operator does not complete department-approved pre-service training by the Provisional category expiration date (not to exceed 6 months) the certification ends. Certification workers will need to update the Category Status in WISCCRS from “approved” to “voluntary closure” when this occurs.
If the operator submits documentation of pre-service training prior to the Provisional Expiration Date, the status of the certification application remains “approved,” the Expiration Date for the Provisional category is modified/ended and a new Regular category is added. After ending the provisional certification, an “initial” button will appear on the application screen. Do not use the “initial” button to add a Regular category. Moving from provisional to regular certification does not require a new application. Instead, click on the “add new category” link on the categories page to add the regular category. When granting Regular certification, the Regular category is granted for 2 years. The 2-year period includes a combination of both the Provisional and Regular categories.
Important note: When the Provisional category ends, an authorization for Wisconsin Shares will end if the new category is not granted the same day, with a category begin date that starts the next day after the modified expiration date. If there is a gap in categories or the new category is not added the same day, the authorization will end. If a new Regular category is added, the family will need to contact their authorization worker to request an authorization be issued to the operator under the new Regular category.
Example
On 12/21/18, a Provisional certified provider submits documentation verifying pre-service entry-level training was completed on 12/20/18. On 12/21/18 the certification worker modifies the Provisional category by changing the expiration date to 12/20/18 and adds a new Regular Category with a begin date effective 12/21/18. In this scenario the Wisconsin Shares authorization will not end. In this scenario, however, the adjusted or increased Wisconsin Shares reimbursement rate will be effective for the January EBT card monthly load.
An individual may not be granted more than one Provisional certification consecutively or intermittently. If the same individual applies for a Provisional certification in the future, the applicant may be provided another opportunity to fulfill the pre-service training requirements; however, the subsequent application may not be processed until the applicant completes pre-service training. If pre-service training is not completed at the time the application is submitted or, for a pending application by the deadline specified by the certification agency, the application may be considered “incomplete” and coded in WISCCRS accordingly.
Regular Certification
Starting 4/1/18, new applicants meeting the requirements for department-approved pre-service training may be granted Regular certification. When granting Regular certification, the Regular category is granted for 2 years. The 2-year period includes a combination of both the Provisional and Regular categories.
Regular certifications may be renewed upon application and as long as a site visit has been conducted to ensure the operator continues to comply with the certification standards. Recertification may be granted with minor violations by issuing a noncompliance statement.
3.6.1 Issuance of Certificate of Approval
3.6.2 Backdating Certification
3.6.3 Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention (SBS) and Backdating Certification
This page last updated 01/2020.