May 31 Child Care Provider Updates During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Division of Early Care and Education (DECE) will send updates to everyone who has subscribed to the DCF Child Care listserv. DCF Announces Project Growth Grant Recipients The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) today announced the award of over $20 million in Project Growth grants to 28 cross-sector community teams and over 100 businesses to help solve the challenges facing Wisconsin’s child care system and bolster the state’s economy. During the five-week application period the Project Growth grant program received a large amount of interest with over 660 Partner Up! applications and 39 Dream Up! applications. While funding was limited, DCF was able to award grants to communities and businesses in each region of the state, with an emphasis on areas deemed child care deserts. Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Grant Program The Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building grant program, administered by our partner, First Children’s Finance, focuses on building child care supply through a collaborative community approach. Twenty-eight cross-sector teams will receive strategic planning support and $75,000 in grant funding to evaluate, plan, sustain, and expand existing child care, and support new child care programs. Additional $5,000 stipends will be allocated to participating child care providers who submit business improvement plans during the strategic planning process. To view the list of Dream Up! grant recipients for the spring and fall 2022 cohorts, visit DCF’s Project Growth webpage. Partner Up! Grant Program The Partner Up! grant program, administered by our partner, Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA), focuses on supporting partnerships between businesses and child care providers by offering funding to businesses who purchase slots at existing regulated child care providers. Over 100 businesses statewide, ranging from child care and health care to retail and manufacturing, will receive funding based on the true cost of care, number of slots, and age group. An additional cohort of Partner Up! recipients will be announced later this summer. To view the list of Partner Up! grant recipients in the first cohort, visit DCF’s Project Growth webpage. An additional cohort of Partner Up! recipients will be announced later this summer. In addition to the above grant programs, a number of resources stemmed from this project, including: Wisconsin Child Care Business Challenges Infographic Community Approach Infographic Business-Child Care Partnership Tool Kit Business Child Care Advocates Sample Survey on Employee Needs for Child Care Wisconsin Employer 2021 Research Snapshot Wisconsin Employer 2021 Comprehensive Research Findings Access the full press release and view all of the award recipients on the DCF website. Reminder: Additional One-Time Payment from Child Care Counts: Spring 2021 Response and Relief Payment Program DCF has identified approximately $2.6M in available unused funding from the Child Care Counts Payment Program from the previous Spring 2021 round. These funds are being redistributed to currently eligible providers who received funding for the Spring 2021 Response and Relief Payment Program A: Providing Safe, Healthy, and High-Quality Child Care Opportunities in June 2022. Eligible providers can view their additional payment amount in the Child Care Provider Portal on June 2. This one-time additional payment will be reflected in the Payments Data webpage. For complete details, see the Spring 2021 Child Care Counts: COVID-19 Response and Relief Payment Program webpage and the Frequently Asked Questions section – Additional Payment – June 2022. Reminder: Free Child Care Foundational Training – Coming June 1! DCF and our training instructor partners have listened to your requests for accessible and affordable training and support. In response to the workforce shortage in child care, we are pleased to announce free Child Care Foundational Training beginning June 1, 2022. Individuals who begin one of the courses listed below on or after June 1 will be eligible for this program. The Child Care Foundational Training courses covers the following noncredit trainings delivered in person or in an interactive online or interactive correspondence format: Introduction to the Child Care Profession Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care Fundamentals of Family Child Care Skills and Strategies for the Child Care Teacher See DCF's website for additional information and FAQs, including which training agencies offer these courses and how you can sign up.
