In a 16-0 vote the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) unanimously passed YoungStar, the Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) child care quality rating and improvement system, on June 23rd. The JFC’s action approves $10 million for the fiscal year July 2010 to June 2011 to launch YoungStar.
The JFC decision immediately allocates $5.6 million immediately for the following purposes:
- $1.5 million for immediate training and technical assistance,
- $0.5 million for TEACH and REWARD,
- $0.6 million for 3 full-time state positions and administrative costs, and
- In addition, the committee set aside $4.4 million that DCF can request later for micro-grants for child care providers seeking to make quality improvements, additional training and technical assistance, and other YoungStar expenditures.
DCF is required to report back to the JFC with a five-year sustainability plan by November 22, 2010, including tiered reimbursement to providers.
Many resources and information, including the following, can be found on the DCF’s YoungStar webpage:
- The YoungStar Proposal & Implementation Plan submitted to JFC on March 24, 2010,
- Draft YoungStar QRIS Qualty Indicators Point Detail (4-30-10),
- Proposal overview,
- A PowerPoint describing minimum point requirements,
- A link to WECA’s series of informational webinars on YoungStar, and
- FAQs (Of special note to Head Start programs is Question 2D “Will Head Start programs be included [in the QRIS]” and the answer “Yes. A Head Start program in compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards and other regulations will receive 5 stars. Child care programs connected to other Head Starts will have an observation rating to determine their star level.”).
A Wisconsin child care quality rating improvement system, or QRIS, has been years in the making. The first effort for such a system in the state dates back to a Governor’s Task Force in 2004. For more a look at why the legislation went through this time, please refer to the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF) article “Broad Support Leads to Legislative Breakthrough on YoungStar” from the July/August 2010 issue if WisKids Journal.
