State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Wisconsin

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Wisconsin could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $33,876 (185 percent of poverty, 54 percent of state median income).¹

•    Waiting list: Wisconsin had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $78 per month, or 5 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $204 per month, or 9 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Wisconsin’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.
o    Wisconsin’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Milwaukee was $91, or 10 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Wisconsin’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in Milwaukee was $117, or 10 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Wisconsin paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Milwaukee at the highest quality tier was 10 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Milwaukee at the highest quality tier was still below the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Wisconsin allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 4 weeks while searching for a job.²  However, Wisconsin did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.³  

¹In 2010, families already receiving assistance could continue doing so until their income reached $36,624.
²If a parent loses a job, the family has 10 days before the authorization for child care assistance is ended. In addition, if the parent is laid off, but will be returning to work within 4 weeks, up to 4 weeks of child care assistance can be authorized.
³Only parents participating in Wisconsin Works or FoodShare Employment and Training can qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.