49.155 Wisconsin Shares; child care subsidy.

1,314 words·~6 min read·/wi/chapter-49/49-155-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)Definitions. In this section, except as otherwise provided:

(ag)“Child care provider” means a provider licensed under s. 48.65 , certified under s. 48.651 or established or contracted for under s. 120.13

(14).

(ah)“County department or agency” means a county department under s. 46.215 , 46.22 , or 46.23 , the unit, as defined in s. 49.825

(e), or a Wisconsin Works agency, child care resource and referral agency, or other agency.

(aL)“Disabled” means physically or mentally incapable of caring for oneself.

(bm)“Liquid assets” means an individual’s financial resources that are cash or can be quickly converted to cash without incurring penalties, including cash on hand, as well as funds in checking, savings, money market, and credit union share accounts. “Liquid assets” does not include any financial resources designated by the department by rule as excluded for purposes of sub.

(cm).

(c)Notwithstanding s. 49.141

(j), “parent” means a custodial parent, guardian, foster parent, legal custodian, or a person acting in the place of a parent.

(cm)“Temporary break” means an individual’s time-limited absence from an authorized activity due to illness, leave to care for an individual’s family member, a student or holiday break, an interruption in work for a seasonal worker who is not working between regular industry work seasons, or any other cessation of an authorized activity as long as the individual continues to be employed or enrolled in the authorized activity and the absence does not exceed 3 months.

(d)“Tribal governing body” means an elected governing body of a federally recognized American Indian tribe.

(1d)Child care quality of care standards. The department shall promulgate rules to establish quality of care standards for child care providers that are higher than the quality of care standards required for licensure under s. 48.65 or for certification under s. 48.651 . The standards established by rules promulgated under this paragraph shall consist of the standards provided for the accreditation of child care centers by the National Association for the Education of Young Children or any other comparable standards that the department may establish, including standards regarding the turnover of child care provider staff and the training and benefits provided for child care provider staff.

(1g)Child care allocations. Within the limits of the availability of the federal child care and development block grant funds received under 42 USC 9858 , the department shall allocate funding in each fiscal year for all of the following:

(ac)A child care scholarship and bonus program, in the amount of at least $3,975,000 per fiscal year.

(bc)Grants under s. 49.134

(2)in the amount of at least $2,598,600 per fiscal year for child care resource and referral services.

(c)Child care licensing activities.

(d)Grants under s. 49.137

(4m).

(e)Contracts under s. 49.137

(4)for training and technical assistance.

(f)The department’s share of the costs for the Child Care Information Center operated by the division for libraries and technology in the department of public instruction.

(g)Contracts and grants to implement the child care quality rating system under s. 48.659 .

(h)In fiscal year 2024-25, a grant to support development and expansion of the Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network, in the amount of at least $2,500,000.

(i)Increases to the maximum payment rates paid to child care providers on the basis of a provider’s quality rating under sub.

(e)3. d. and e.

(1j)Unanticipated federal funds. If the department receives unanticipated federal child care and development block grant funds under 42 USC 9858 and it proposes to allocate the unanticipated funds so that an allocation limit in sub.

(1g)is exceeded, the department shall submit a plan for the proposed allocation to the secretary of administration. If the secretary of administration approves the plan, he or she shall submit it to the joint committee on finance. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the secretary of administration within 14 working days after the date of his or her submittal that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the plan, the department may implement the plan, notwithstanding any allocation limit under sub.

(1g). If within 14 working days after the date of the submittal by the secretary of administration the cochairpersons of the committee notify him or her that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the plan, the department may implement the plan, notwithstanding sub.

(1g), only with the approval of the committee.

(1m)Eligibility. Except as provided in sub.

(3g), the department shall determine, contract with a county department or agency to determine, or contract with a county department or agency to share determination of the eligibility of individuals residing in a particular geographic region or who are members of a particular Indian tribal unit for child care subsidies under this section. Under this section, and subject to sub.

(2), an individual may receive a subsidy for child care for a child who has not attained the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, who has not attained the age of 19, if the individual meets all of the following conditions:

(a)Subject to sub.

(2), the individual is a parent of a child who meets the requirement under s. 49.145

(c)and who is under the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, is under the age of 19; or is a relative who, under s. 48.57

(3m)or

(3n)or 48.62 , is providing care and maintenance for a child who meets the requirement under s. 49.145

(c)and who is under the age of 13 or, if the child is disabled, is under the age of 19; and child care services for that child are needed in order for the individual to participate in an approved activity. An individual who is eligible to receive a child care subsidy under this subsection shall remain eligible for that subsidy for a period of 3 months after the individual permanently ceases participation in the approved activity or until the department or the county department or agency redetermines the individual’s eligibility, whichever is earlier. In this paragraph, “approved activity” means any of the following:

1. Meeting the school attendance requirement under s. 49.26

(ge).

1m. Obtaining a high school diploma or participating in a course of study meeting the standards established by the state superintendent of public instruction for the granting of a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation, if the individual is not subject to the school attendance requirement under s. 49.26

(ge)and at least one of the following conditions is met:

a. The individual is 18 or 19 years of age.

b. The individual has not yet attained the age of 18 years and the individual resides with his or her custodial parent or with a kinship care provider under s. 48.57

(3m)or with a long-term kinship care provider under s. 48.57

(3n)or is in a foster home licensed under s. 48.62 , a subsidized guardianship home under s. 48.623 , a group home, or an independent living arrangement supervised by an adult.

2. Working in an unsubsidized job, including training provided by an employer during the regular hours of employment.

3. Working in a Wisconsin works employment position, including participation in job search, orientation, and training activities under s. 49.147

(a)and in education or training activities under s. 49.147

(am),

(am), or

(bm).

3m. Participating in a job search or work experience component of the food stamp employment and training program under s. 49.79

(9).

3r. Participating in the Transform Milwaukee Jobs program, or the Transitional Jobs program, under s. 49.163 .