Wisconsin Department
of Children and Families - Division
of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration
Wisconsin Shares Handbook
Agency workers must complete an authorization within two (2) business days of the parent providing all necessary information for the authorization assessment. Any delay in completing the authorization within two (2) business days must be documented in case comments (see 12.2).
Parents are required to provide their work or other activity schedule, including specific days and times they are or expect to be participating in their approved activity. Agency workers use this information to create an authorization for child care subsidy. If an authorization-related agency error occurs, an overpayment must not be established but the authorization must be corrected.
Child care authorizations are based on an assessment of:
The days and hours the child needs child care
The parent’s daily approved activity schedule, including lunch and break times
Travel time between the approved activity and the child care location
Overlapping schedules of two-parent families
The length of time child care is needed (up to 12 months)
The copayment type
The child’s school schedule
Shared placement schedules
School closed hours for school-age children (3 years or older)
Other factors that affect the family’s child care need
Wisconsin Works (W-2) Financial and Employment Planners (FEPs) do not determine the child care needs for families that participate in the W-2 program. The agency worker must use the activity information from the W-2 Employability Plan (EP) and the parent’s stated child care need to complete the authorization assessment.
16.1.1 Approved Activity Schedules
16.1.1.1 Approved Activity Verification and Schedule
16.1.2 Child Care Need Schedule
16.1.2.1 Co-located Head Start and 4K School Programs
16.1.2.2 School-Age Children Authorizations
16.1.2.2.1 Zero-Hour Authorizations
16.1.2.2.2 School Closed Hours
16.1.3 Gaps Between Approved Activities
This section last updated 12/1/2022