Report Child Care Fraud

If you suspect Child Care Fraud, be a part of the solution. You may remain anonymous. Please fill out the Child Care Fraud Form, or email dcfmbchildcarefraud @wisconsin.gov.

Find Your Local YoungStar Office

find your local youngstar office

Report a Child Care Concern or Complaint

If you have a concern about something going on in a child care facility or you suspect child abuse, neglect or exploitation at a child care facility, please use the drop-down menu on the Tell Us How We Are Doing page to fill out the appropriate complaint form.

Formal Rating and Environment Rating Scales

Little girl fingerpainting

In YoungStar, a formal rating requires a child care program to have an Environment Rating Scale (ERS) observation performed within some of their classrooms. ERS tools provide an overall picture of the environment within an early childhood setting. ERS tools are used in YoungStar for those programs who want to earn a 4- or 5-Star rating. In-depth information about the scales is available on the Environment Rating Scales Institute (ERSI) website as well as a Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you are looking for information on how to prepare for a formal rating, please visit the My YoungStar Connect website for resources.

ERS-3 Tools

YoungStar moved to the newly updated Environment Rating Scale-3 (ERS-3) tools on January 2021. 

*Note: The School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) has not been updated and therefore YoungStar will continue to use the SACERS-U.

Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-3 (ITERS-3)
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-3 (ECERS-3)
Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale-3 (FCCERS-3)
School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale-Updated (SACERS-U)

School-Age Care Environment Rating Scale-Updated (SACERS-U)

Additional Resources

Tip Sheets from Child Care Resources, Inc.