Supporting child care providers serving 4-year-olds Información en español Making sure children have the skills to thrive in school and in life is important. Starting in 2026, Get Kids Ready is a new community-based school readiness initiative to support licensed and certified child care providers serving 4-year-olds. Child care providers who meet the eligibility criteria and decide to participate will receive payments for each 4-year-old participating in their school readiness program. DCF will be working in the weeks and months ahead to implement the program as required. Additional information will be shared through the DCF Child Care Provider Listserv, Tuesday Talks, and this webpage. Save the Date for an Evening Webinar for Get Kids Ready Did you miss our Tuesday Talks on November 18? We are offering a second opportunity to attend a live webinar for Get Kids Ready on December 9 from 6-7:15 p.m. The first portion of the webinar feature a presentation covering frequently asked questions we’ve received about Get Kids Ready. Then we will have ample time after the presentation for a question and answer session. Join the Zoom WebinarMeeting ID: 860 6665 1232Passcode: 581786 Pre-registration is not required. Just join the Zoom meeting at the time of the event. You can also download this calendar event to save the information to your calendar. The webinar will have Spanish translation services available. You must join the meeting through the link above (not by calling in by phone) in order to: Hear Spanish interpretation View the PowerPoint Enter questions into the Q&A Tip – you can download the Zoom app on your smartphone. This will allow all features to be available, including Spanish interpretation, viewing the presentation, and adding questions in the chat. If you are not able to attend this event, you can watch our recorded Tuesday Talks featuring Get Kids Ready on the Tuesday Talks webpage. Just navigate to the November 18: YoungStar Ratings Stabilization Pilot and Get Kids Ready accordion. Frequently Asked Questions General When does Get Kids Ready Start? The Get Kids Ready program will begin during the 2026-27 school year. Will the Get Kids Ready program continue beyond the 2026-27 school year? Yes. According to current law, the Get Kids Ready program will continue beyond the 2026-27 school year. The program is intended to continue year after year. Who is considered a child care provider for Get Kids Ready? A child care provider means someone licensed under Wis. Stat. § 48.65 or certified under Wis. Stat. § 48.651. When can child care providers apply to participate in Get Kids Ready? The law requires providers notify DCF of their intent to participate by February 1 of the preceding school year according to application requirements established DCF. What is the process to participate in Get Kids Ready? Here are the steps in participate in Get Kids Ready. Each is described in more detail in subsequent FAQs. Intent to Participate – Child care providers must submit an Intent to Participate in Get Kids Ready by February 1, 2026. The Intent to Participate signifies interest in participating in the Get Kids Ready program along with understanding of the Get Kids Ready program requirements. Program Eligibility Verification Application – After submitting an Intent to Participate, child care providers must then submit materials to verify they meet the Get Kids Ready program eligibility requirements by May 15, 2026. Eligibility Notification – DCF will notify all providers who submitted verification of their eligibility determination no later than June 2, 2026. Payment Applications – Child care providers must submit four (4) Payment Applications throughout the year for each service period they wish to receive payment for: September (covering the service period of July, August, and September) November (covering the service period of October and November) February (covering the service period of December, January, and February) May (covering the service period of March, April, May, and June) What will the adult to child ratio for children participating in Get Kids Ready be? Child care programs must follow their regulatory requirements for staff-to-child ratios. Ratio and group rules for each regulation type can be found here: Table DCF 202.08(6) for certified child care programs Table DCF 250.055 for licensed family child care programs Table DCF 251.055 for licensed group child care programs Table DCF 252.425 for licensed day camps Can child care providers withdraw from Get Kids Ready after submitting an Intent to Participate? Yes. Child care providers can withdraw from Get Kids Ready after submitting an Intent to Participate. They can do so by not submitting a Program Eligibility Verification Application. Can child care providers charge fees, such as snack fees, field trip fees, or supply fees for participation in Get Kids Ready? No. Child care providers cannot charge fees such as snack, field trip, or supply fees for participation in Get Kids Ready. Participating providers will receive state funding for costs associated with Get Kids Ready instruction. Providers can charge fees to children participating in Get Kids Ready for hours or activities outside of Get Kids Ready hours. Will a kindergarten readiness assessment, or any other assessment, be required for children participating in Get Kids Ready? No. Wisconsin does not have a kindergarten readiness assessment. There is no assessment required for children participating in Get Kids Ready. Child care providers may choose to implement assessments, but it is not required for participation in Get Kids Ready. Is a child participating in Get Kids Ready required to participate in a statewide fundamental literacy skills screener under 2023 Wisconsin Act 20? No. Children participating in Get Kids Ready are not required to participate in a statewide fundamental literacy skills screener under 2023 WI Act 20. Under Wis. Stat. §118.016(2), only children participating in a 4K or 4K Community Approach program at a school district or independent charter school are required to participate in a statewide fundamental literacy skills screening. Will 2023 WI Act 20 professional learning requirements be required of Get Kids Ready teachers? No. Act 20 professional learning requirements are not required of Get Kids Ready teachers. How do families and communities know which child care providers will be participating in Get Kids Ready? DCF is required to publicly post on its website a list of all participating child care providers, contact information, and the number of spaces available by February 15 each year. Can a child get Wisconsin Shares authorization for the hours they're participating in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Get Kids Ready hours may be included in the child’s Wisconsin Shares authorization. Where can questions about Get Kids Ready be directed? All questions can be sent to dcfgetkidsready@wisconsin.gov. Staff will review your question and respond as soon as possible. Eligibility Legal, Financial and Regulatory Requirements Which child care providers can participate in Get Kids Ready? Certified and licensed providers are eligible if they: Are in compliance with all legal, financial, and regulatory requirements imposed by law or by department rule Will provide at least 437 hours of instruction in elementary school readiness per year Use a curriculum that meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards Do not have a contract with a school district to provide 4K for the school year in which the provider intends to participate in Get Kids Ready What legal requirements do child care providers need to meet to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? To be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready, child care providers must comply with all state and federal laws that govern child care operations in Wisconsin. Will child care providers participating in Get Kids Ready need to meet child health and safety standards? Yes. Child care providers are required to be licensed or certified to participate in Get Kids Ready. Each regulated program is required to meet health and safety standards as defined by their regulation status, and DCF or local certification agencies monitor programs at least annually to ensure these standards are being met. What financial requirements do child care providers need to meet to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? To be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready, child care providers must be repaying any overpayments and/or in compliance with any Repayment Agreement if any Wisconsin Shares, Partner Up!, Child Care Counts, or Child Care Bridge Payments overpayments are owed. Providers may not charge tuition or any program-specific fees for Get Kids Ready programming. They may charge tuition and fees for children who participate in Get Kids Ready for other care provided outside of Get Kids Ready hours. What regulatory requirements do child care providers need to meet to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? To be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready, child care providers must be licensed or certified, in compliance with child care background check requirements, in compliance with administrative rules for child care providers as outlined by the DCF Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR), and not currently subject to a revocation, suspension, or denial of a license or certification. Are license-exempt public school programs eligible to participle in Get Kids Ready? No. Only licensed and certified child care programs are eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready. Are private schools eligible to participle in Get Kids Ready? Private schools are only eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready if they are licensed or certified. Can Head Start Programs participate in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Head Start programs can participate in Get Kids Ready if they meet all Get Kids Ready eligibility requirements. I have more than one location under my provider number. Is eligibility to participate determined at a child care program’s provider number or location number? Eligibility is determined at the child care provider’s location number. Teacher Requirements What teaching qualifications are required for Get Kids Ready? Lead Teachers delivering Get Kids Ready instruction must have an associate degree or bachelor’s degree in any field of study. In addition to an associate or bachelor’s degree, what other criteria must Get Kids Ready teachers meet? Each Get Kids Ready teacher is required to meet the provider or teacher requirements in their regulated programs. This includes requirements such as background checks, CPR and first aid training, Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) prevention training, and noncredit or credit-based coursework. Specific requirements for each regulation type can be found here: DCF 202.08(1) for certified child care programs DCF 250.05(3) for licensed family child care providers DCF 251.05(3) for licensed group child care programs DCF 252.42(2) for licensed day camps Does the Get Kids Ready teacher’s associate or bachelor’s degree have to be in early childhood education or any other specific field? No. There is no requirement that the Get Kids Ready teacher’s associate or bachelor’s degree be in a specific field. Get Kids Ready teachers are required to meet the existing provider or teacher requirements in their regulated program, such as noncredit or credit-based coursework, background checks, CPR and first aid training, and abusive head trauma prevention training. Specific requirements for each regulation type can be found here: DCF 202.08(1) for certified child care programs DCF 250.05(3) for licensed family child care providers DCF 251.05(3) for licensed group child care programs DCF 252.42(2) for licensed day camps Other training or requirements are at the provider’s discretion. Does the requirement for Get Kids Ready teachers to have an associate or bachelor’s degree apply to Assistant Teachers? No. The requirement for Get Kids Ready teachers to have an associate or bachelor’s degree only applies to Lead Teachers. 4K Contracts with School Districts Can a child care provider have a contract with a K12 district to provide the 4K Community Approach and also participate in Get Kids Ready? No. A child care provider cannot have a contract with a school district to provide the 4K Community Approach and also participate in Get Kids Ready. For child care providers that have children enrolled across multiple school districts and have 4K Community Approach contracts with only some of those school districts, can the child care provider participate in Get Kids Ready on behalf of those children who reside in a school district that the child care provider does not have a 4K Community Approach contract with? No. According to state statute, if a child care provider has an active contract with any school district to provide the 4K Community Approach in a given school year, they are not eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready for that school year. This is the case regardless of the school district of residence of enrolled children or the school district with which the child care program holds a contract. Can child care providers have contracts with a school district for services other than providing 4K and participate in Get Kids Ready? Yes. Child care providers can have contracts with a school district for services other than providing 4K and participate in Get Kids Ready. The only contract with a school district that would prevent a child care provider from participating in Get Kids Ready is a contract to provide 4K for the year the child care provider intends to participate in Get Kids Ready. Intent to Participate What will the Get Kids Ready Intent to Participate process be? The Intent to Participate for the 2026-27 school year will open in early January 2026 in the DCF Provider Portal and must be submitted by child care providers no later than February 1, 2026. Child care providers that do not submit an Intent to Participate by February 1, 2026, will not be able to participate in Get Kids Ready for the 2026-2027 school year. During the Intent to Participate, child care providers will: Enter contact information Indicate the maximum number of slots they plan on making available for Get Kids Ready. This will be the maximum number of slots they can receive payment for the school year. Attest that they understand and agree to meet all Get Kids Ready eligibility and application requirements, including: Child care programs must be in compliance with all legal, financial, and regulatory requirements imposed by law or administrative rule. Child care programs must implement a curriculum that meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) for children participating in Get Kids Ready. Children being served in Get Kids Ready for the 2026-2027 school year must be 4-years-old on or before September 1, 2026. Lead teachers providing instruction for Get Kids Ready must have an associate degree or bachelor’s degree, in any field of study. Child care programs must provide at least 437 hours of instruction in elementary school readiness to children participating in Get Kids Ready between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027. Child care programs may not have a contract with a school district to provide 4-year-old kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year. After the Intent to Participate is submitted by February 1, 2026, child care providers will be required to verify they meet eligibility requirements in a Program Eligibility Verification Application, which opens in April 2026 and is due by May 15, 2026. During the Intent to Participate, child care providers are asked to indicate the maximum number of slots they plan to make available for Get Kids Ready for the 2026-2027 school year. How will DCF use this information? This number will be the maximum number of slots the child care provider can receive payment for the school year. Child care providers can decide to make fewer slots than the maximum number they report in the Intent to Participate available, but they cannot receive payment for more slots than the maximum number. This number will also be used to calculate the estimated per-child payment amount. Application Verification General What will the Get Kids Ready Program Eligibility Verification Application process be? Child care providers who submitted an Intent to Participate must also complete a Get Kids Ready Program Eligibility Verification Application which will be available in April 2026. Program Eligibility Verification Applications are due by May 15, 2026. When completing the Program Eligibility Verification Application providers will: Re-attest that they understand and meet all Get Kids Ready eligibility and application requirements listed in the Intent to Participate Verify and/or upload required evidence of meeting eligibility requirements, including: That Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers have an associate or bachelor’s degree A schedule showing at least 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027 An indication of how their curriculum aligns with WMELS Confirm or reduce (but not increase from the number submitted in the Intent to Participate) the maximum number of Get Kids Ready slots they intend to make available. DCF will notify providers when their eligibility is verified on a rolling basis, but no later than June 2, 2026. The earliest date approved providers may begin offering Get Kids Ready services is July 1, 2026. Teacher Requirements How will child care providers demonstrate that Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers have an associate or bachelor’s degree? In the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to select the names of their Get Kids Ready Lead Teachers from a list of teachers associated with their program in the background check system. DCF will review data from the Wisconsin Registry to determine if the selected teachers have an associate or bachelor’s degree. DCF will provide an opportunity for a separate review of that teacher’s degree attainment in the event that the Get Kids Ready Lead Teacher has a submitted an application to the Wisconsin Registry that has not yet been processed or other limited exceptions. 437 Hours of Instruction How will child care providers demonstrate that they provide 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction annually to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? In the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to upload a schedule showing how they will provide at least 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction for the school year. There is no requirement to track instructional time at the child level. Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) How will child care providers demonstrate that their curriculum meets the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? In the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to select that their curriculum meets WMELS in one of the following ways: YoungStar: The child care program has earned the Developmentally Appropriate Environments (DAE) indicator in its YoungStar rating Accreditation: The child care program is accredited by one of the accrediting bodies accepted under DCF’s YoungStar accreditation policy Head Start: The child care program is a Head Start program with a curriculum that meets the Head Start Performance Standards Other: The child care program’s curriculum meets WMELS as demonstrated in its responses to the following questions: What information do you use to track and set goals for children’s growth and development? How do you communicate with families about their child’s growth and development? How does your curriculum meet the five WMELS domains (health and physical development, social and emotional development, language development and communication, approaches to learning, and cognition and general knowledge)? 4K Contracts with School Districts How will child care providers demonstrate that they do not have a contract with a school district to provide 4K to be eligible to participate in Get Kids Ready? During the Intent to Participate and the Program Eligibility Verification Application, child care providers will be asked to attest that they do not have a current contract with a school district to provide 4K for the school year they intend to participate in Get Kids Ready. DCF may verify this information in the case of an audit. Payment Applications What will the Get Kids Ready Payment Application process be? Child care providers will be required to submit a Payment Application for each of four (4) service periods for which they want to receive payment. Payment Applications will be due in September, November, February, and May. Each Payment Application will ask providers to: Confirm or update information from the Program Eligibility Verification Application List all children enrolled in Get Kids Ready during the applicable payment Count Period Child care providers may also be asked to respond to brief questions about Get Kids Ready implementation to help DCF understand how the program is being delivered and identify areas for improvement. When will the payment Count Periods be? Payment Count Periods for the 2026-2027 school year will be: August 17 – September 11 for the September Payment October 12 – November 16 for the November Payment January 11 – February 5 for the February Payment April 12 – May 7 for the May Payment Payments and Use of Funds General Are Get Kids Ready payments made to child care providers or parents? Get Kids Ready payments are made to child care providers. Will participating child care providers receive funding for all children participating in Get Kids Ready, or only children participating in Get Kids Ready with Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy authorizations? Participating child care providers will receive funding for all children participating in Get Kids Ready. Get Kids Ready funding is not limited to children with Wisconsin Shares authorizations. How Payments are Determined How will per-child payment amounts for Get Kids Ready be determined? The maximum amount a child care provider participating in Get Kids Ready could receive per participating child is $7,045 for the 2026-27 school year. The actual payment amount child care providers will receive per participating child may be lower than $7,045 and will be determined by dividing $65 million, which is the funding allocated for the program per year, by the number of participating children. If $65 million is not enough to fund all participating children at the maximum amount of $7,045, law requires that DCF prorates (i.e. decreases) the per-child payment amount so that child care providers get payment for all participating children. When will per-child payment amounts for Get Kids Ready be determined? In February 2026, DCF will publish the range (i.e. the minimum and maximum) within which actual per-child payment amounts for the 2026-27 school year will fall. Actual per-child funding amounts will be somewhere between that minimum and maximum and will be determined based on payment applications submitted in September 2026, November 2026, February 2027, and May 2027. Will per-child payment amounts for Get Kids Ready vary across counties? No. Get Kids Ready per-child payment amounts will not vary by county. The payment amounts will be the same for all participating children. Will Get Kids Ready payments be based on child enrollment, hours of instruction, or both? Get Kids Ready payments will be based on child enrollment in each of the four Payment Count Periods throughout the school year (August 17 – September 11, October 12 – November 16, January 11 – February 5, and April 12 – May 7). The number of hours of Get Kids Ready instruction delivered per Count Period will not be considered in determining payment amounts. To clarify the impact of this, consider two example child care programs, both of which serve 20 children in Get Kids Ready, with one providing Get Kids Ready instruction over 10 months and the other providing Get Kids Ready instruction over 6 months. Note: these examples assume Get Kids Ready payments will be set at the maximum of $7,045 per child: Example Child Care Program 1 Children Enrolled in Get Kids Ready: 20 Dates of Get Kids Ready programming: September 7 – June 4 Number of Weeks of Get Kids Ready instruction: 38 Average Weekly Hours of Get Kids Ready instruction: 11 Payment Schedule: September: $35,225 November: $35,225 February: $35,225 May: $35,225 Total: $140,900 Example Child Care Program 2 Children Enrolled in Get Kids Ready: 20 Dates of Get Kids Ready programming: January 4 – June 30 Number of Weeks of Get Kids Ready instruction: 25 Average Weekly Hours of Get Kids Ready instruction: 17.5 Payment Schedule: September: $0 November: $0 February: $35,225 May: $35,225 Total: $70,450 Use of Funds What are the allowable uses of Get Kids Ready funds? Child care providers may use Get Kids Ready funds on any costs associated with providing the Get Kids Ready program. Is there a timeframe by which child care providers must spend Get Kids Ready funds? No. There is not a timeframe by which child care providers must spend Get Kids Ready funds. If a provider closes prior to completing the 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction for the school year, will they be required to return any Get Kids Ready funds they received? Child care providers will be reimbursed based on enrollment during each Count Period. They will not be required to return any funds they received for the Count Periods during which they had children enrolled and delivered Get Kids Ready instruction. Providers that close permanently will be unenrolled from the program and no longer eligible for subsequent funding. Enrolling Families Which children can participate in Get Kids Ready? A child is eligible to participate if: They are 4 on or before Sept 1 of the school year they plan to participate The child’s parent or guardian submits an application to participate in the program, on a form prepared by DCF, to a participating provider A participating child care provider has accepted the child’s application to attend Get Kids Ready When can child care providers start enrolling children in Get Kids Ready? Child care providers can begin enrolling children for Get Kids Ready at any time, but services cannot begin until after July 1, 2026. However, DCF will not be able to verify child care provider eligibility until the Program Eligibility Verification Application is submitted by May 15, 2026. DCF will make eligibility determinations on a rolling basis and no later than June 2, 2026. We encourage providers to be confident that they meet all eligibility requirements before beginning enrollment. Do children need to be enrolled in Get Kids Ready by a certain date? No. Providers have a maximum number of slots, which is established in the Intent to Participate, but a child can enroll at any time by completing the Child Application as long as the provider has available slots and accepts the Child Application. Enrollment can be verified by attendance records. Can child care providers charge families tuition for the required 437 hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per year? No. Child care providers cannot charge families tuition for Get Kids Ready. Participating providers will receive state funding for those hours. Child care providers can charge families for additional time that children are in care beyond the Get Kids Ready instruction hours. Can a child participate in Get Kids Ready at a child care provider and also attend school district-provided 4K? Yes. A child can participate in Get Kids Ready at a child care provider and also attend a school district-provided 4K program. For example, a child can attend a district 4K program in the morning and also attend a Get Kids Ready program at a child care provider in the afternoon. However, a child care provider cannot participate in both Get Kids Ready and have. Community 4K contact with a district. Still have questions? Please contact the Get Kids Ready team at dcfgetkidsready@wisconsin.gov.
