Tribal Child Care Certification Resources

Native American mother holding child in a blanket

The following are tools and resources for all Tribal child care certification workers. 

We make extensive use of live links to content hosted on the Department of Children and Families (DCF) website. Many of the items can be downloaded and printed. We strongly encourage downloading documents each time a document is needed. While the link will remain the same, the document stored at each link are regularly updated. 

If you need to report missing or incorrect information on any of the Tribal Child Care Certification Resources webpages, please email DCFDECEBOPCommunication@wisconsin.gov.

Area Administration Child Care Coordinator

DCF Area Administration works with local agencies administering DCF programs (child welfare, child care, child support, and W-2 financial assistance). The local agencies include county human services departments, child support agencies, private W-2 agencies, Tribal Nations, and other service providers. DCF Area Administration responds to all your child care certification and subsidy questions.

Responsibilities of Tribal Child Care Certification Specialists

A tribal child care certification specialist is assigned by the tribal department assigned to administer the certification program.  This could vary from tribe to tribe.  Certification is a voluntary form of child care regulation.  Tribes have the authority to certify providers who are tribal members or reside on tribal lands. 
Tribal child care certification specialists perform the following responsibilities: 

  • Provide orientation information to prospective providers.
  • Process child care certification applications and renewals and ensure providers are meeting all requirements for certification as outlined in DCF 202. 
  • Ensure provider and household members are in compliance with Wisconsin State Statues regarding background checks initially and ongoing. 
  • Complete initial site visits and ensure compliance to standards as listed in DCF 202 prior to issuing  certificates of approval.
  • Complete annual unannounced site visits to monitor certified providers for health and safety requirements as specified by the Department of Children and Families.  
  • Maintain child care providers records in the WISCCRS system. This includes, but is not limited to, entering all applications and renewals, documenting results of monitoring visits and training requirements.  
  • Investigate any complaints and take appropriate enforcement actions 
Forms and Publications

Forms and Publications Resources and Links

A document – paper or electronic – that contains information that is critical for accessing the provider/agency services and/or benefits; letters or notices that require a response from the customer; and documents that inform customers of free language assistance, are a necessary part of doing daily tasks. 

Forms are defined as:

  • Paper/printed 
  • Electronic
    • Form-fill enabled 
    • Mainframe-generated forms and form letters 
    • Client server-generated forms and form letters that merge variable information onto a fixed form template or structure 
    • Internet application screens 
    • Internet/intranet forms 
    • Templates

The DCF Forms page contains the searchable list of forms used by programs and DCF staff. The available forms can be searched via title, number, and language, or by scrolling through the complete list. 

Forms and publications are subject to change, so be sure to print only from the website so you always have the most up-to-date version.

Court forms can be found on the Wisconsin Court System webpage.

Child support-related court forms can be found on the Bureau of Child Support Court Resources and Forms web page.

If you cannot find the form or publication you are looking for, contact DCF Agency Operations for assistance. 

Document Sales

  • Some forms and publications are preprinted and can be ordered from Document Sales. New Document Sales users need to create a login and password in order to search for products, place, and track orders. 
  • Any questions about Document Sales should be directed to Document Sales and Distribution at DOADocumentSalesInformation@wi.gov. 
Training

Child care subsidy and certification trainings are delivered through our partner The Partners Training Team (PTT).

You will need to get a PTT Logon ID to take these trainings.

To obtain a PTT Logon ID

  1. Click on: Learning Center New Employee Profile Form
  2. Download the form
  3. Fill out the form
  4. Email form to: regstaff@uwosh.edu 

If you lost your Logon ID, contact:

PTT Registration Staff  
Phone: 920.424.1071  
Email: regstaff@uwosh.edu 

You can also find additional child care trainings by searching the catalog at the PTT website.

Required Certification Trainings

DCF 202.04 (3)(b)(1) requires new child care certification workers to complete department-approved training within six (6) months of hire or taking over duties as a certification worker.

Child Care Certification New Worker Policy Training

This training is offered twice a year through the PTT Learning Center. It provides an overview of Child Care Certification Rules and Policy including the following: 

  • Child Care Background Checks
  • Certification Standards 
  • Home Visit Requirements
  • Making Determinations for Certification Approval and Sanctions 

Required prerequisite courses

  • Informational Materials for Prospective Operators
  • Number of Children in Care

You can find additional child care trainings by searching the catalog at the PTT Learning Center website.

Contracts

Review the types of contracts and their requirements.

State / Tribal Child Care Contract and Scope of Services

This contract is a sub-award of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a part of the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) program, which provides grants to states, territories, Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations for child care assistance for low-income families. Wisconsin State Statutes §49.155(1m) and (3) require that the Department of Children and Families (DCF) contract for Wisconsin Shares child care eligibility and authorization with a county, Tribal Nations or other agency in each geographical region or Tribal unit to determine eligibility and administer the program.

You can access the State/Tribal Scope of services through the Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Administration SharePoint Site. (You will need to request SharePoint access).

This contract should be reviewed each year by the agency to maintain compliance.

Not fulfilling the requirements of the contract can result in the loss of the child care administration program and funds. 

Subcontracts (Subrecipient Contracts)

Any agency can subcontract out child care services such as:

  • Fraud
  • Authorizations
  • Certification

The Process

  • Contact your child care coordinator to let them know.
  • Send a draft copy of the subcontract to your child care coordinator for review.
  • After final draft has been signed by all parties – send to your child care coordinator.
  • Create a monitoring plan on how your agency plans to oversee the sub-contracting agency during the contract and send along with the final copy of the subcontract to your child care coordinator. 
  • Each year that you subcontract out the agency’s child care services, you will need to include a new FY Subcontract with the subcontracted agency, and a monitoring plan along with your Agency Annual Summary.
Child Care Certification Reviews

The Certification Review process is a joint effort between DCF Area Administration and the Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR) to monitor certification agencies for compliance with certification requirements and provide technical assistance to agencies to ensure the safety of children and support quality child care services by certified operators.

In 2009, the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) evaluated child care regulation in licensed and certified facilities and the potential for fraud and abuse under Wisconsin Shares. The LAB report included several recommendations for improvements of certification practice including, but not limited to:

  • Timeliness of site visits
  • Documentation of attempted visits
  • Identification of violations
  • Documentation of monitoring results in WISCCRS in database
  • Sanctioning of programs with large numbers and/or severe violations

The review process includes the following elements:

  • Review of certification activity documentation by looking at a sample of provider records in the WISCCRS system and on-site at the agency, including open records for currently certified providers and closed records.
  • Orientation and training activities to assist providers in becoming certified and meet ongoing training requirements.
  • Compliance with background check procedures.
  • Completion of new worker training by certification workers.
  • Review of provider complaints and denial, revocation or suspension actions taken against providers.
  • Interviews with agency staff.

Certifying agencies will be reviewed every three (3) years, with the reviews scheduled by child care coordinators at the agency’s convenience. The child care coordinator will work with the agency to conduct the various elements of the review process. 

Upon completion of the review, the agency will receive a written report with the results of the review. If improvements are needed, DCF Area Administration will work with the agency to develop an Action Plan to address review findings and recommendations. Action Plans will be reviewed by the BECR certification specialist. If a serious problem is identified, the agency may be directed to take corrective action. DCF Area Administration will provide consultation and technical assistance to agencies as they develop and implement their Action Plans and any Corrective Actions.

See Module 3.1 in the Certification handbook for more information on Certification Reviews. 

Child Care Certification Resources