Información en español Wisconsin Shares Policy Changes Coming This Fall! Your Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy may be increasing. Policy is being changed to comply with federal regulations and improve the family-friendly approaches of the Wisconsin Shares Subsidy program. The new policy starts on October 1, 2023. Starting with your October benefit, your subsidy will change from an hourly amount to a part-time or full-time amount. The department will also begin paying limited registration fees. Only parents who have Wisconsin Shares authorizations to the provider are eligible to receive funds to pay provider registration fees. This does not apply to parents who are not receiving Wisconsin Shares. Parents with authorizations will be able to receive funds to pay registration fees for the provider’s price up to $125 twice in a 12-month period. See the Registration Fee FAQs for more details. View Parent Registration Fee FAQs View Provider Registration Fee FAQs Watch the Parent Information Video Scroll down to see the list of upcoming parent/caregiver information sessions. The child care provider information session was held on Tuesday, September 19, during the Tuesday Talks with DECE. See the Tuesday Talks page for more information or to listen to the recording. Subsidy Changes You don't need to make any changes to your authorization. If your child is authorized for 20 weekly hours or less, you will receive a part-time monthly subsidy amount. If your child is authorized for more than 20 weekly hours, you will receive a full-time monthly subsidy. If your child care need changes from week to week, an average of weekly hours within a month is used to determine a part-time or full-time authorization. Funds will continue to be loaded to your MyWIChildCare EBT card. Remember! Authorization hours do not guarantee availability at the provider. You must work with your child care provider to determine when your child can attend and what the provider’s price is for that enrollment. You must make sure you only pay what the provider charges. The cost of care for your child should be on the Parent/Provider Payment Agreement you have with your provider. Subsidy Examples Each child’s Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy is specific to their age, the family’s income, county or tribe, and other factors. The following examples are for demonstration purposes only. They do not represent benefit calculations for the entire state or create any guaranteed subsidy amounts. To learn more about subsidy and your out-of-pocket cost, visit the Calculating Your Out-of-Pocket Cost page. Part-time Subsidy Examples Example 1: 4-year-old Sam has an authorization for 10 hours per week. Sam’s family lives in Milwaukee. Sam’s provider charges the family $1,087 for a part-time slot at their licensed group facility. Under the current calculation method, Sam’s subsidy is $340 each month based on a 10 hour per week child care need. The parent’s out-of-pocket monthly cost for Sam to attend the provider is $747. Starting in October, Sam’s subsidy increases to $1,010 per month based on a part-time child care need (20 hours or less per week). The parent’s out-of-pocket cost decreases to $77. This provides the family with subsidy to pay for the part-time slot rather than only providing subsidy based on an hourly need. Sam Child Care Need Provider Price Monthly Subsidy Monthly Out-of-Pocket Cost Current Subsidy 10 weekly hours $1,087 per month ($250 per week) $340* $747 October 1 Subsidy Part-time $1,087 per month ($250 per week) $1,010* $77 *The monthly subsidy amount will be different for each family based on family income, household size, and other variables. The monthly out-of-pocket cost is based on the difference between the subsidy amount the family receives and the provider’s price. Example 2: 4-year-old Judah has an authorization for 20 hours per week. Judah’s family lives in Milwaukee. Judah’s provider charges the family $1,087 for a part-time slot at their licensed group facility. Under the current calculation method, Judah’s subsidy is $671 each month based on a 20 hour per week child care need. The parent’s out-of-pocket monthly cost for Judah to attend the provider is $416. Starting in October, Judah’s subsidy increases to $1,010 per month based on a part-time child care need (20 hours or less per week). The parent’s out-of-pocket cost decreases to $77. This provides the family with subsidy to pay for the part-time slot rather than only providing subsidy based on an hourly need. Judah Child Care Need Provider Price Monthly Subsidy Monthly Out-of-Pocket Cost Current Subsidy 20 weekly hours $1,087 per month ($250 per week) $671* $416 October 1 Subsidy Part-time $1,087 per month ($250 per week) $1,010* $77 *The monthly subsidy amount will be different for each family based on family income, household size, and other variables. The monthly out-of-pocket cost is based on the difference between the subsidy amount the family receives and the provider’s price. Full-Time Subsidy Examples Example 1: 4-year-old Ruby has an authorization for 25 hours per week. Ruby’s family lives in Milwaukee. Her provider charges the family $1,435 for a full-time slot at their licensed group facility. Under the current calculation method, Ruby’s subsidy is $840 each month based on a 25 hour per week child care need. The parent’s out-of-pocket monthly cost for Ruby to attend the provider is $595. Starting in October, Ruby’s subsidy increases to $1,173 per month based on a full-time child care need (more than 20 hours per week). The parent’s out-of-pocket cost decreases to $262. This provides the family with subsidy to pay for the full-time slot rather than only providing subsidy based on an hourly need. Ruby Child Care Need Provider Price Monthly Subsidy Monthly Out-of-Pocket Cost Current Subsidy 25 weekly hours $1,435 per month ($330 per week) $840* $595 October 1 Subsidy Full-time $1,435 per month ($330 per week) $1,173* $262 *The monthly subsidy amount will be different for each family based on family income, household size, and other variables. The monthly out-of-pocket cost is based on the difference between the subsidy amount the family receives and the provider’s price. Example 2: 4-year-old Adam has an authorization for 40 hours per week. Adam’s family lives in Milwaukee. His provider charges the family $1,435 for a full-time slot at their licensed group facility. Under the current calculation method, Adam’s subsidy is $1,173 each month based on a 40 hour per week child care need. The parent’s out-of-pocket monthly cost for Adam to attend the provider is $262. In October, Adam’s subsidy does not change because Adam already has a full-time authorization. Adam Child Care Need Provider Price Monthly Subsidy Monthly Out-of-Pocket Cost Current Subsidy 40 weekly hours $1,435 per month ($330 per week) $1,173* $262* October 1 Subsidy Full-time $1,435 per month ($330 per week) $1,173* $262* *The monthly subsidy amount will be different for each family based on family income, household size, and other variables. The monthly out-of-pocket cost is based on the difference between the subsidy amount the family receives and the provider’s price. Milwaukee County Information Sessions for Parents and Caregivers Wednesday, September 20 - 5:30 p.m. MECA is hosting Community Information Sessions so you can learn more about: Wisconsin Shares Program Changes for Subsidy Calculation Changes to Registration Fees Important Dates for Policy Changes Register to attend the session. Join us at the United Community Center, 1028 S. 9th St., Milwaukee, WI 53204. Space is limited. Parking available. Dinner will be served. Children are welcome and an activity will be provided. Watch for additional sessions this fall. Statewide Virtual Information Sessions for Parents/Caregivers Thursday, September 21 - 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. DCF is hosting virtual (Zoom) community information sessions so you can learn more about: Wisconsin Shares Program Changes for Subsidy Calculation Changes to Registration Fees Important Dates for Policy Changes Thursday, September 21 from 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Download Calendar Link Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 821 5411 0857 Passcode: 051780 Phone: 1-312-626-6799 Wednesday, September 27 - 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. DCF is hosting virtual (Zoom) community information sessions so you can learn more about: Wisconsin Shares Program Changes for Subsidy Calculation Changes to Registration Fees Important Dates for Policy Changes Wednesday, September 27 from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Download Calendar Link Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 884 4999 1920 Passcode: 830301 Phone: 1-312-626-6799 Thursday, September 28 (Spanish only) - 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Jueves 28 de septiembre de 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. DCF is hosting virtual (Zoom) community information sessions so you can learn more about: Wisconsin Shares Program Changes for Subsidy Calculation Changes to Registration Fees Important Dates for Policy Changes Jueves 28 de septiembre de 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Descargar la invitación al calendario.Únase a la reunión de Zoom ID de reunión: 862 7233 4867 Código de acceso: 436358 Teléfono: 1-312-626-6799 Parent Portal Information Learn how to access and use the Parent Portal to manage your child care subsidy! As a reminder, you can use the Parent Portal to request changes to your authorization.
