Early Care and Education Biennial Budget Information - 2025-27 Biennial Budget Implementation Information We are working to provide information about implementation of the child care provisions of the 2025-27 Biennial Budget as quickly as possible. Going forward, we will provide updates in the weekly listserv for child care providers, counties, and tribes; monthly Tuesday Talks with DECE webinars; and here on the department’s Early Care and Education Biennial Budget webpage. We will continue to share more information as our implementation plans take shape. The 2025-27 Biennial Budget invests $330 million in child care, including: Direct payments to child care providers Investments to make child care more affordable for families ECE Biennial Budget Staff Handout Family Affordability Over $123 million to increase Wisconsin Shares subsidy rates Currently, the maximum Wisconsin Shares rate is only enough to fully cover the price of 41% of slots statewide With this increase, it will fully cover the cost of 75% of slots Direct Investments in Child Care Providers Child Care Bridge Payments $110 million for direct payments to providers in the first year of the budget These Child Care Bridge Payments will ensure continued support as the Child Care Counts program winds down The first payment will be in August 2025 Get Kids Ready 2025 Wisconsin Act 15 provides an annual $66 million investment to DCF beginning in SFY27 to fund “Get Kids Ready,” a new community-based elementary school readiness initiative to support licensed or certified child care providers serving four-year-olds. DCF will be working in the weeks and months ahead to implement the law as required. Additional information will be shared through the DCF Child Care Provider Listserv, Tuesday Talks, and the Get Kids Ready webpage. Enhanced Payments Pilot A 2-year pilot program to increase per-child payments to licensed providers caring for infants and toddlers with a Wisconsin Shares authorization For children 0-18 months old: $200/month for full-time care For children 18-30 months old: $100/month for full-time care To be eligible, providers will need to participate in increased ratios for children 18-30 months old Enhanced Payments Pilot FAQs When will I be able to receive funding for the new ratios? The pilot funding for infants and toddlers with Wisconsin Shares authorizations associated with the ratio changes is not yet implemented. More information will be forthcoming. Group Child Care Ratios Pilot Group programs may begin to implement new pilot ratios of 1:7 for children 18-30 months now, if they meet other applicable administrative rules (e.g., space requirements, equipment and furnishings, licensed capacity, etc.). Each program should review their space letters to determine if they can accommodate more children. Space letters are either on file at the center or can be accessed in the historical documents on the Child Care Provider Portal (CCPP). If programs want to increase their licensed capacity, submit a written/emailed request to your licensing specialist and follow standard procedures. If programs want to change room usage or switch rooms to accommodate more children, report it to your licensing specialist 20 working days prior, receive approval, and follow standard procedures. The pilot funding for infants and toddlers with Wisconsin Shares authorizations associated with the ratio changes is not yet implemented. More information will be forthcoming. The ratios for certified and licensed family child care programs remain the same. Group Child Care Pilot Ratios FAQs When will I be able to receive funding for the new ratios? The pilot funding for infants and toddlers with Wisconsin Shares authorizations associated with the ratio changes is not yet implemented. More information will be forthcoming. Please see the Enhanced Payments Pilot section above for the most current information. Will square footage per child change with the ratio changes? The biennial budget did not change the current square footage requirement per child, which remains the same at no less than 35 sq. ft. of usable floor space per child (see DCF 251.06(7)(a)). How can I increase my center’s licensed capacity? Submit a written/emailed request to your licensing specialist and follow standard procedures. I want to switch rooms for my toddlers to increase my ratios. What do I need to do? Programs need to notify their licensing specialist at least 20 days prior to changing room usage and receive approval. Contact your licensing specialist for more information. How do I know if I have enough space for more children in the classroom? DCF 251.06(7)(a) requires 35 sq. ft. of usable floor space per child. During each program’s initial licensing visit, a licensing specialist measured each classroom for usable space to determine how many children would be able to be in the space. That information was shared in a space letter. The space letter also includes which ages are approved for each room. Where do I find my space letter? Most programs will have received a space letter when they received their license. Programs can find their space letter on the Child Care Provider Portal (CCPP). I don’t have a space letter in my Provider Portal; where can I obtain a copy? Contact your licensing specialist to request your space letter. Is the mixed age ratio worksheet updated with new weights for 18 – 30 months? Yes, the Staff-to-Child Ratio Worksheet is updated and available on the department’s Child Care Licensing Forms and Publications webpage. Assistant Child Care Teachers Sixteen-year-olds may serve as assistant teachers under the supervision of child care teachers in group child care programs. This change to statute is currently in effect and we will update DCF 251 in the future to reflect the changes. There are several related items that will still need to be implemented which we will share information as we have it. Please note: How the biennial budget change to assistant teacher requirements applies to certified child care programs and day camps is still under review. Read more about the Assistant Child Care Teachers changes on the Child Care Rulemaking Projects page. Large Family Child Care Family child care providers with sufficient staff and space will be able to serve up to 12 children. Read more about the Large Family Child Care changes on the Child Care Rulemaking Projects page.
