The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families has launched new online tools to help Wisconsinites interested in starting a licensed or certified child care program navigate the regulation process, cutting license processing times nearly in half and helping to bolster the child care industry by making licensure and certification more accessible and more straightforward for interested applicants.
The updated tools continue to build upon efforts of the Gov. Tony Evers Administration over the last several years to modernize and bring state government operations into the 21st Century.
Until this year, child care license applications were required to be submitted exclusively via hard copy. The new tools include the Roadmap to Child Care Regulation, an interactive webpage designed to help prospective providers with:
- Determining the best program option (licensed or certified) for their situation;
- Navigating the regulation process with step-by-step guidance;
- Understanding necessary documents and verifications; and
- Learning how to provide a healthy, nurturing, and safe environment for kids.
An online licensing application, available to both prospective and current providers, reduces the dministrative burden and improve the application process. Users can submit their expression of interest in launching a child care practice, submit their initial application, and maintain additional and ongoing license requirements.
Early data show that the time to process initial licenses has been cut nearly in half since implementing online licensing.
The new tools also complement a host of existing resources aimed at making the child care system easier to navigate for active child care providers and applicants in pre-licensing, including:
- Pre-licensing consultation and technical assistance from the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association and 4C For Children;
- YoungStar, which is Wisconsin’s five-star quality rating and improvement system that helps bolster child care providers’ programs;
- Thriving Wisconsin and the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) Agencies, which provide a wide range of services for providers, families, and the community; and
- The Wisconsin Registry, which offers comprehensive professional development opportunities for early childhood education and afterschool care professionals.
