Dane County Human Services
Child Care Subsidy – Wisconsin Shares
Provides assistance paying for child care expenses to low-income parents who are working or preparing to enter the workforce.
Who May Qualify and How to Apply?
Wisconsin Shares is available for eligible families that are in work, work-related or school/training activities. Working families with income below 185% of federal poverty level may be eligible for childcare assistance.
The Child Care subsidy payment depends on the household’s income, hours of care needed, how many children will need care in the family, what are the provider’s rate, and other factors. All families are expected to pay a portion of the expense or co-pay directly to the provider.
The childcare subsidy can only pay to childcare providers who are licensed or certified. It is the parents’ or relative caretakers’ responsibility to find the provider they wish to use. To obtain information about Child Care providers in your area, please contact Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) at 608-271-9181.
Families with limited income may qualify for Child Care Assistance. To check potential eligibility for Child Care benefits and to apply, please visit this website: https://access.wisconsin.gov .
In-person applications can be made at the following locations:
Job Center
1819 Aberg Ave., Suite D
Madison WI 53704
The Job Center does have computers available to complete on-line applications.
Providers must be certified, licensed or operated by a Wisconsin public school board.
The child care provider must participate in the YoungStar program and have a quality rating of at least 2 Stars. Parents must be working or participating in another approved activity to receive Wisconsin Shares benefits. If there are two parents in the household, benefits will only be issued for the time when their work or other approved activity schedules overlap.
