If you’re looking to help your 4-year-old be ready to start elementary school, you may be in luck.
Earlier this year, Gov. Tony Evers secured $65 million for Get Kids Ready, a new school readiness initiative that pays child care providers to help prepare children with “academic, physical, social-emotional, self-help skills, and much more that kids will need to succeed in school,” a Wisconsin Department of Children and Families spokesperson said.
About 900 providers across Wisconsin are participating in the program.
“The state pays child care providers for the time kids spend in Get Kids Ready, making that part of the day free for families,” said the spokesperson in an email to NNS.
There is no deadline to apply.
Is my child eligible?
Parents of any children who are 4 years old or will be by Sept. 1 are eligible to join a Get Kids Ready program.
Free?
The state covers the cost of the 437 required hours of Get Kids Ready instruction per year, making this instruction free for all 4-year-olds in the state of Wisconsin.
Child care providers can charge families for additional time children are receiving care beyond the Get Kids Ready instruction hours, according to the Department of Children and Families.
How do I apply?
To participate, a parent must submit this Department of Children and Families application to a participating provider.
To complete the application, you will need the provider’s name, address and their provider and location numbers.
Have your child’s name and birthdate and the phone numbers ready, as well as the child’s parents’ or caregivers’ addresses and emails.
Give the form to a participating provider of your choice, not the Department of Children and Families.
The provider must accept the child’s application to attend that facility’s Get Kids Ready program.
Where can I find a participating provider?
Hundreds of providers across Milwaukee are participating. Find a provider and call to see if there are open seats for Get Kids Ready.
The Department of Children and Families keeps a running list of participating providers in all Wisconsin cities here. COA Youth and Family Centers announced Monday that the organization had received a grant to implement the program at its Riverwest Campus, 909 E. Garfield Ave., Milwaukee.
Alex Klaus is the education solutions reporter for Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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