Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
When the provider is uncooperative, the licensing specialist may be unable to gather and verify as much information as needed to complete the investigation and make a finding. It is possible that the provider is not truthful regarding the number of children in care or, more often, the provider may claim that the parents are not compensating the provider for the care provided and therefore they are not in violation of the law. If the provider is receiving any form of compensation, for any number of children under the age of seven, and is caring for a licensable number of children the allegation is substantiated. Compensation may take many forms: cash/check, gift cards, in-kind services, bartering services for care, etc.
The licensing specialist should consult with the licensing manager/licensing supervisor regarding whether to request compensation information from the parents of children in care. In this case, an Unlicensed Child Care Complaint-Determination of Compensation form may be sent to the parents requesting that they supply the names of their children, dates of birth, relationship to the provider, dates and times of care and an attestation as to whether the parent provides compensation. A signed compensation statement from the parent is particularly helpful when a provider appeals the order to stop operating and argues that they do not receive compensation for care provided. The Office of Legal Counsel will advise the licensing manager/licensing supervisor regarding collection and use of the form during appeal proceedings.
This page last updated 10/2021.