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2011
Statewide YoungStar Trainings by Region |
YoungStar Regional Office |
| YoungStar Application Forms - Available Now |
| DCF believes that every child - regardless of income, culture, or geography - should have access to high quality child care. YoungStar providers must agree to accept children enrolled in the Wisconsin Shares subsidy program by completing the Wisconsin Shares Participation Contract AND complete the Application for YoungStar Participation and submit both forms (contract and application) to their YoungStar Regional Office . Providers must complete a Wisconsin Shares Participation Contract and an Application for YoungStar Participation for each individual child care site, even if they are owned or operated by the same person or organization. |
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Wisconsin Shares Contract - for Group or Family Providers |
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Application for YoungStar Participation Group Providers
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Family Providers |
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YoungStar Step-by-Step Application Instruction
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Applications are now
available for YoungStar!
◘Programs can
choose to receive FREE, individualized technical assistance as
a participant in YoungStar. Don't wait in line for this assistance!
◘Programs that receive 3 stars or higher could receive increases in Shares
payments as early as July, 2011. Don't miss out on this chance to increase your
revenue!
◘Programs that participate in YoungStar, and work for FREE with technical
consultants, are eligible for micro-grants for quality improvements!
◘Programs accredited through approved accrediting bodies will automatically
receive 4 or 5 stars!
◘Parents will be able to view program ratings online on December 13th- make sure
your program is visible for parents searching for care!
Please review the tip sheet on how to prepare for YoungStar and feel free to contact us with any questions you have about applying! After you have completed your application/contract, please submit both forms to your YoungStar regional office.
Programs located in Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, and Taylor
Counties – submit to:
Child Care Connection
Programs located in Adams, Clark, Marquette, Portage, Waushara, and Wood
Counties - submit to:
Child Care Resource & Referral of Central WI
Be sure that both forms are complete and include signatures.
YoungStar Regional Offices: http://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youngstar/map/default.htm
Completed applications will be addressed on a first come first serve basis.
Levels of YoungStar service support are dependent upon available funding.
On June 23rd 2010,
the Wisconsin's Joint Committee on Finance made a unanimous, bi-partisan
decision to support a child care quality improvement rating system.
This system titled YoungStar is one of the most progressive,
child and family friendly decisions that WI lawmakers have made in
recent history.
YoungStar
aims to systematically build,
support, and monitor the quality of
regulated child care in Wisconsin and make information about the quality
of care available to parents.
While the proposal is clear that all programs receiving public
subsidy to care for children must participate in the quality rating and
improvement system, opportunities for strengthening programs also exist
on a voluntary basis for those child care businesses that do not have
children/families receiving subsidy.
Wisconsin taxpayers also have reason to celebrate.
This is an effort that is a combination of family and child
friendly policy and smart investment and good stewardship of public
dollars to assure the quality of state funded child care.
Supporting Families
Together Association (SFTA) and Child Care Resource and Referral
agencies (CCR&Rs) celebrate this ground breaking decision to invest in a
system that supports children and family and those who serve them.
Children in Wisconsin deserve to be served by the most competent,
nurturing care and education providers possible and parents deserve the
peace of mind afforded by a rating informed decision.
So, what does this mean for early care and education professionals? Simply put, it means support in growing and sustaining high quality child care programs. SFTA and CCR&Rs realize that positive attitude, behavior, and practice change requires a deeper level of professional development best accomplished through coaching and technical assistance as well as training. Research about improving quality early care and education is clear. In order for a quality improvement rating systems to be effective it must not simply assess quality, there must also be a mechanism to intentionally build quality through research informed strategies. Intensive on-site, data-driven, individualized, targeted technical assistance/coaching that result in sustainable increases in quality include:
◘ delivery of technical assistance services in a professional manner by highly skilled, experienced, and collaborative professionals in a way that is the “right dose at the right time for the right duration”
◘ previously and currently funded efforts from DCF to SFTA and CCR&Rs underscore the importance of this approach to achieve meaningful gains in the quality indicators that most impact children’s experiences and business practices
◘ an infusion of technical resources and materials to implement a quality improvement action plan development of a balanced quality improvement action plan that targets a sufficient number of indicators to create a “tipping point” to improve the quality in a early care and education setting but that is not so ambitious that family and group centers believe that change is unachievable
◘ builds linkages to additional resources and professional supports
For more information about YoungStar visit DCF's website
