The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) has declared that they will be traveling across the state to hold special local announcements for the proposed Quality Rating and Improvement System, YoungStar. The first two of these events are being held today in Janesville and Beloit.
DCF would like to invite YOU to join them at these special announcements- all will feature DCF Secretary Reggie Bicha and are scheduled on the following days:
• Tuesday, February 2 in Madison: 1 pm at Kids Express Learning Center, 3276 South High Point Road, Madison.
• Wednesday, February 3 in West Allis: 10 am. No location known as of yet.
• Thursday, February 4 in Eau Claire: 11 am at Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center, 1612 Truax Boulevard, Eau Claire. CANCELLED
• Thursday, February 4 in St Croix: 3:30 pm. No location known as of yet. CANCELLED
• Monday, February 8 in Platteville: Morning, UW Platteville Children’s Center, 1 University Plaza, Platteville.
• Monday, February 8 in Fennimore: 1:30 pm at SW Technical College.
• Wednesday, February 10 in Appleton: 10:30 am at Project Bridges Day Care Center, 803 East College Avenue, Appleton
• Wednesday, February 10 in Green Bay: 3pm at Encompass Early Education and Care Inc., 1275 University Avenue, Green Bay
• Thursday, February 11 in Stevens Point: No time or location known as of yet.
• Thursday, February 11 in Wausau: No time or location known as of yet.
If you are planning on attending an event, please email an RSVP to Julie E. Schultz at juliee.schultz@wisconsin.gov. Come one, come all!
WECA 
I am a state licensed group childcare center and I have yet received any information in regards to the quality rating system, except for information I have received in classes and meetings. As I scroll thru the list of announcing the program, I noticed they were all held in larger cities, of which I received no notice. Will this be true for grants as well? Will the larger centers be receiving them first? At this time I do not feel we need this system, but an overall(which has been going on as long as I have been in childcare-24 years) of unregulated daycare. This system will only push small centers out of business and more illegal childcare.Living in a rural area, we do not have access or funding to universities or technical colleges to further our staffs education. Staff with 4 year degrees certainly will not stay in daycare and work.I have very caring and qualified staff. I have saw teachers with 4 year degrees work in the summer and it was an insult to change a diaper or wipe a nose. They preferred school-agers. Does this sound like the quality care you would want your child to receive?It is also not the time to be putting this hardship on anyone, when everyone is fighting for enrollments or trying to collect money from parents who already cannot afford childcare.It makes me stop and really put some thought into continuing in this field.Thank You!
In Fond Du Lac there is a student/child care center closing —-we need your help to keep a FIVE STAR CENTER from closing. All the staff are members of the registry and of WECA. Please help and keep one of your collegues providing quality care.
Thank you
As a group licensed center in small town WI I am concerned that the needs of the families we provide for will not be met by the Youngstar or the new BID. It looks like money is more important than the childrens well being with the new BID.
As for the Youngstar rating system again I think that it is being looked at incompletely and all aspects are not being completely investigated. My fear is that, along with it pushing out good childcare centers, that families will be hurt financially and childcare will go unregulated. Tuition will have to be increased due to the cost of meeting this, and many hidden costs are in the program that no one is even talking about.
Then centers will be regulated right out the door. My center has been open for almost 40 years and follow regulations. However, now after all these years we would have to start a hot lunch program to qualify for the rating to stay the same as we are now. I have talked to my parents and they are not happy about it. With food allergries and picky eaters many of my parents are making it clear that they are not happy by this. Why undermine the parents?
I agree that the educational standards for teachers in EC would be benificial, however, the problem is in a small town we don’t have many people to choose from and we cannot offer the same kind of benefits that a school district can. When the economy is so difficult how can we ask the parents and small business for more. The government cannot pay for the changes they want and neither can the parents. Consequently the child care trilemma cannot balance with what the state wants to dictate. In Juneau county alone we are higher than the state average for poverty level, graduation rates, employment rates, and have more single parents and W-2 families than the state average. This puts us at a disadvantage as we receive more aid from W-2 and have less income in general.
This needs to be better thought out because there are some good points. However, it isn’t a realistic goal for the centers and families in the rural areas of WI. Let’s keep it real! Thank you.