Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration
Wisconsin Shares Handbook
When a gap between approved activities occurs on the same day the gap must be included in the authorized hours if the parent needs care during the gap time and the request is reasonable.
In a two-parent household, gap time cannot be approved for times when the second parent is available to care for the child.
When determining whether a request is reasonable, agency workers must consider the following factors:
Home Time: Picking up the child and taking them home between the approved activities would cause the parent and child to be home for an unreasonably short period
Child Insufficient Sleep: Picking up the child would cause the child to have fewer than eight (8) hours of potential sleep time
Travel Greater than Activities: The number of activity hours for the first and the second activities are less than or equal to the travel time needed (job to child care to home, then home to child care to work)
Disruption of Child Schedule: Picking up the child would interrupt mealtime or nap time
Child Well-being: Picking up the child would disrupt the child's routine
Local agencies should consider the circumstances of the case, including the child’s ability to have stable child care arrangements and the overall well-being of the child, and proceed according to their discretion.
| Example 1: Hillary works and goes to school. Her child, Lisa, needs to attend child care whenever Hillary is at work or school. Hillary’s work and school hours are verified at 18 hours per week. However, Hillary requests 25 hours per week because she leaves Lisa at the child care provider during a gap in her activities. She tells the worker that if she had to pick Lisa up and drop her off between the two (2) activities, they would only be home for 30 minutes. Because they would be home for an unreasonably short period the agency worker must include the requested gap time in Lisa’s authorized hours. |
| Example 2: Hayley works first shift and her spouse, Natalie, attends school during the day. Natalie reports that their child, Aurora, needs care during the day while Hayley works and Natalie attends classes. Natalie indicates that she is available for three (3) hours in the middle of the day between classes, but she prefers to leave Aurora at the child care provider because Aurora struggles with having multiple transitions during the day. Because picking up Aurora for three (3) hours and then dropping her off again would negatively impact Aurora’s well-being, the agency worker must include the requested gap time in Aurora’s authorized hours. |
Agency workers must consider the maximum hours per day when determining authorized hours (see 16.1.2). This maximum includes hours of employment, travel time, gap time, and any sleep hours requested by the parent.
This section last updated 11/1/2024