August 27 Child Care Provider Updates Gov. Evers Urges Trump Administration to Rescind New Efforts to Roll Back Head Start Program Standards Gov. Tony Evers sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams urging the federal leaders to rescind the Trump Administration’s latest proposal to drastically roll back Head Start Program Performance Standards. The proposal would eliminate safety requirements such as instructor-to-child ratios that keep class sizes small, requirements for serving kids with disabilities and multilingual learners, standards for educational quality, child development, child safety, and family services, and more. Read the press release and the letter on the State of Wisconsin website. Tuesday Talks – July Recording Now Available Did you miss the July Tuesday Talks with DECE? The recording for the July talk is now available in the July 18, 2026 accordion on the Tuesday Talks with DECE Recordings webpage. This is where you can access all the resource links shared during the Talk as well. In July, DCF Secretary Jeff Pertl joined us for remarks on the ending of Child Care Bridge Payments. In addition, we discussed the upcoming Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) Revisions. Tuesday Talks with DECE are held the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. The next webinar is Tuesday, September 15 at 1:30 p.m. Visit the DCF Tuesday Talks with DECE webpage to access the Zoom link and calendar invitation for the 2026 Tuesday Talks. Child Care Bridge Payment Spending Deadline Reminders Funds under this program must be spent within 120 days of the date of the payment letter for the given month. Child Care Bridge Payments April funds must be spent by September 5, 2026 Child Care Bridge Payments May funds must be spent by October 10, 2026 See the Child Care Bridge Payment webpage for the list of remaining spending deadlines and mark them in your calendar. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Child Care Payments Support Center by emailing DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov. Reminder: Child Care Bridge Payments - Support Center Update The Child Care Payments Support Center phone line (608-535-3650) will be discontinued on August 28, 2026, and will no longer accept voicemail messages. The mailbox, DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov, will continue to be available for questions related to Child Care Bridge Payments. If you have questions or need assistance, please email DCFDECECOVID19CCPayments@wisconsin.gov Upcoming Events and Education/Training Opportunities The below events are hosted by DCF, one of its partners, or is one that may be relevant to the early childhood field. Click/tap on the titles below to learn more about each event. Virtual: QPR Suicide Prevention Training Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Every trusted adult can play a role in suicide prevention. Join YoungStar Connect for this 90-minute training to learn the QPR approach and build skills to support youth in crisis. Live session | Friday, September 11, 2026 | 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Register through the Wisconsin Registry | Registration closes on September 10, 2026. Questions? Contact Jennifer Smith.
