MyWIChildCare Tips and Other Useful Information for Parents The Department of Children and Families is committed to helping parents understand their Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy. Since late 2016, the MyWIChildCare EBT card has made it easier than ever for parents to pay for child care and get the most out of their subsidy. Here's a list of additional tips and other information that you might find helpful: Using your MyWIChildCare EBT card Using the Parent Portal Knowing your child care costs Preventing fraud And much more Visit the MyWIChildCare Parent page for more information and links to training videos. Using the MyWIChildCare Parent Portal The Parent Portal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is mobile-friendly. You can log in to the Parent Portal using your Access ID and password. Use the Parent Portal to: View your child care authorizations Confirm the correct provider and location is listed. See the number of hours and amounts of subsidy at each provider for each child on your case. Request a new authorization, end an authorization, or make changes to a current one if your schedule changes, or if you need to change child care providers. Schedule a phone or video appointment for an authorization worker to call you at your convenience. If there is an error, contact your local agency immediately to correct any errors before making a payment. Check the balance on your MyWIChildCare EBT card and track payments you make to your provider. View school closed days and hours through the Authorizations button. Submit information directly to your caseworker's inbox using the Messages button. Track all requests entered in the Parent Portal using the Track My Requests button. All requests are date- and time-stamped to ensure your needs are met timely. Connect to Fidelity Information Services (FIS) and make a payment in seconds Note: As the cardholder, all payments are your responsibility. You may need to repay money if any errors or misuse of the card occurs. Read your notices (authorization, subsidy fund amounts and transactions) Additional Parent Portal Resources Parent Portal Login Parent Portal Training for Parents (video) Learn how to make the most out of using the Parent Portal! Visit the Parent Portal website (login page) and add it to your favorites today! Request Child Care Authorization Changes Using the Parent Portal Do you know about the Parent Portal website created by the Department of Children and Families, where you can see everything related to your child care authorization? You can use it to submit information regarding your child care needs to your child care worker. Use your ACCESS account ID and password to log in to the Parent Portal. From the Parent Portal with the click of a mouse or a touch on your smartphone screen, you can view your authorization notices! See the number of hours and amounts of subsidy at each provider for each child on your case Check your subsidy balance and track payments you make to your provider Go to the FIS website to check your balance or make a payment to your provider Request a new authorization for child care Request a change to a current authorization if your schedule changes or if you need to change providers End an authorization if your child no longer needs child care. Track the progress of the requests you make. All requests entered into the Parent Portal are date- and time-stamped to ensure your needs are met timely. Schedule a phone or video appointment for an authorization worker to call you at your convenience. Visit the Parent Portal website and add it to your favorites today! Do You Know Your Monthly Child Care Costs? Ask your child care provider for a written payment agreement that spells out your total costs, your child care schedule, and payment due dates. Ask your child care provider for a bill that tells you how much to pay. Find out if you owe any additional money not covered by the amount on your EBT card (parent share). The MyWIChildCare EBT card puts the power to pay in your hands. You are the customer! Note: A parent may be responsible for any amount not covered by Wisconsin Shares, including, but not limited to enrollment fees, supplies, field trips, etc. Why Did Child Care Funds Drop Off My Card? The MyWIChildCare card is loaded with a monthly amount for child care expenses based on your authorizations. The subsidy is intended to be used the month it is put on the card. Unspent funds will carry over into the next month, but any funds not spent within 90 days will drop off from the card. The payment system works on a last in – first out cycle. For example, if you make a payment in June, the funds loaded in June are used first, even if you still have funds on the card from May. You need to use all of the June funds before May funds will be used. See the table below for further explanation. Note: Once funds expire, they will not be refunded or reissued by the state. May (31 days in the month) $100 loaded to your card on May 1 You spend $80 in May The remaining $20 will drop off after 90 days June (30 days in the month) $100 is loaded to your card on June 1 You spend $80—June funds are used first You have $40 remaining ($20 from May and $20 from June) $20 from May expires in late July July (31 days in the month) No money is loaded in July $20 from May expires on July 29 $20 from June expires in late August August (31 days in the month) No money is loaded in August $20 from June expires on August 29 Note: It's okay if you do not spend the entire funds on your card. You should only be paying your provider the agreed upon amount (in your written agreement) that you actually owe. FIS Parent Customer Service Hours The FIS parent customer service line is 877-201-7601. Their customer service hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The automated telephone payment process will still be available, 24-hours per day, to make payments or request balance inquiries. Live customer service agents will only be available between the hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. Changing Child Care Providers? Subsidy funds are loaded for a child to a specific provider at the beginning of each month. If you need to change providers, or add another authorization to another provider, you must contact your local child care agency. Be sure to contact your local agency in the month before your child begins attending the other provider. A Quick Guide to Reporting Changes Timely Changes must be reported to the agency within 10 days of occurring. Changes include: Changes in household composition or martial status Changes in approved activity hours, schedule, and/or location Changes in mailing or residence address. Changes in your need for child care. Your child care provider gives you a discount on your cost of child care. Your child has not been attending child care for 20 days or more. For more information or to read the full list of possible changes, visit the Parent Program Integrity web page and look under Client Role section. Simple Rules for Being a Savvy MyWIChildCare EBT Cardholder Follow these simple rules with your MyWIChildCare EBT Card and you’ll be a savvy cardholder. Your card is your own. Treat it like your own personal debit card and don’t let your child care provider or anyone else keep or use it. Your account information, PIN, and Login should never be shared. Keep your PIN secret. No one should know your PIN but you. Never share your PIN. You may change your PIN if you think someone else knows it. For assistance changing your PIN, call 1-877-201-7601. You are entitled to a billing statement. You shouldn’t ever need to wonder how much money you owe for child care, so feel free to ask for a bill. Figure out a payment schedule. Work with your provider for the best way to pay for child care, including the due date, and if you will be billed weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Find out if you owe any additional money not covered by the amount on your EBT card (parent share). If you pay the wrong provider or overpay a provider, contact your local agency for assistance in correcting this. You may not request cash back from the provider. Let DCF know if your provider has your EBT information. Your account information, PINs, login credentials, and notices from DCF are confidential and meant for your eyes only. You may choose to share your notice information with your child care provider to assist with your agreed payment plan, but never share your EBT card number or PIN. Information you may choose to share includes how many hours you are authorized for, or how much subsidy is on your MyWIChildCare EBT card. Email us at DCFMBCHILDCAREFRAUD@wisconsin.gov if your child care provider has your EBT account number, PIN, or login information. 10 Questions to Ask Your Child Care Provider Here are 10 important questions to ask your child care provider: What time of the month am I billed? Am I billed weekly, biweekly, or monthly? What date do I need to pay my bill? What is my out-of-pocket portion of payment? Are receipts available when I make a payment? Do you have a Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement? Would you like to be paid by phone, online, or the point of sale device? What’s your policy for absences? What is your policy for children who are ill? What are your policies on child behavior? What Child Care Provider Information do I Need? It is very important to enroll your children with the child care program prior to giving your child care authorization working your provider information. Once you enroll your child, you provide your child care authorization worker with the correct information about your chosen child care provider so it can be entered correctly into the MyWIChildCare system. Once the correct information is entered into the system, the child care subsidy amount is loaded onto your MyWIChildCare EBT card and is payable only to the child care provider listed on the authorization. You will need to know the following information in order to ensure you receive the correct child care authorization: Child care program name Program address Provider number and location Provider phone number Program FIS ID The price charged by the provider Confirm that the provider has a slot available for your child, you have enrolled your child, and you know the start date Frequently Asked Questions about the MyWIChildCare EBT Card Login Help Who can help me if I have trouble setting up a new account or logging into the ebtEDGE application? Read through the Cardholder Portal Frequently Asked Questions for instructions and/or email: ebtEDGE.Cardholder.portal@fisglobal.com. Failed Payments Why isn’t my payment going through? Common reasons payments fail include: Card status is not Active (cards are mailed inactive; you must call 1-877-201-7601 to activate your card by selecting a PIN). PIN not selected PIN entered incorrectly PIN locked (after three (3) unsuccessful PIN attempts, the card LOCKS until midnight). Amount is too large. Try making multiple smaller payments that are less than $1,000. If you are uncertain why your payment isn’t processing, call 1-877-201-7601. Lost Cards Using Mobile App or Website What happens if I lose my card? You can now freeze/unfreeze your EBT card through www.ebtEDGE.com or the mobile app. This allows you to control when a card can be used or not if you need time to find lost cards before replacing them. You can request a new EBT card through www.ebtEDGE.com or the mobile app. Download the ebtEDGE app from the mobile app store on your mobile device. Steps to replace card from ebtEDGE (portal or mobile): Select option to replace card Select reason: Lost Damaged Stolen Validate your identity: Primary DOB and Last 4-digits of SSN (if you don’t have an SSN, enter 0000 Confirm your address is correct because this is where the replacement card will be mailed to If your address is correct, you will get a confirmation message that the lost card was cancelled, and a new card is being mailed If your address is not correct, the lost card will still be cancelled, but you will be directed to call your local agency to update your address before a replacement card can be mailed to you. NOTE: The existing PIN will carry over to the new card. PIN Reset What if I don’t know or can’t remember my PIN? You must know your PIN to make a payment or change it. If you do not remember you PIN: Call the number on the back of your card: 1-877-201-7601. Say nothing when initially asked to enter card #. Next prompt will tell the caller to “say, or press 2 to report card missing, lost, or stolen.” Caller should select 2. This will transfer the caller to an Agent. Tell the agent you forgot your PIN and you need them to remove your PIN. After agent removes the PIN, hang up and call the number on back of your card again: 1-877-201-7601. Follow the prompts to select a PIN. NOTE: If you have any trouble with the agent, request to speak to their manager and explain what is needed. If that doesn’t work, forward your phone number, date and time of call to the regional office so FIS can follow up with the call center. Complaints How do I report concerns? Be sure you called the correct number for FIS: 1-877-201-7601. If you called the number above, tell the call center agent you would like to speak to a supervisor and report your concerns. If you are still unhappy with the services received from the agent or supervisor, contact your local agency and provide the following: Phone number you called from Date and time that you called A brief description of what happened Your local agency will reach out to the DCF Regional Office to either file a ticket or contact DCF to file a ticket. If you have additional questions about your MyWIChildCare EBT card, please call FIS customer service at 1-877-201-7601 (6 a.m. - 6 p.m. Central Standard Time), or visit ebtedge.com to view your MyWIChildCare account and payment information. What are my Rights and Responsibilities? Parents participating in the Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Program have certain rights and responsibilities. Please read more about this on the Rights and Responsibilities web page.
