DCF Secretary Reggie Bicha Announces
Child Care Quality Rating System
YoungStar to Improve Child Care, Help Parents, and Reduce Fraud

MATC President Dr. Michael L. Burke (right) welcomes Secretary Reggie Bicha
to the West Allis Campus.

WEST ALLIS (Feb. 3, 2010) - Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Reggie Bicha today announced details on a new five-star quality rating and improvement system for child care in Wisconsin. The program, YoungStar, will link child care provider quality to payments from the Wisconsin Shares program and make it easier for parents to choose the best child care for their children. The announcement was made at MATC's West Allis Campus Child Care Center.

"YoungStar will change the landscape of child care in Wisconsin, by helping parents in making their decisions, increasing the quality of care received by children across the state and reducing fraud," stated Bicha.  "With YoungStar, more children in Wisconsin will be better prepared for school and life."

YoungStar sets a five-star rating system for child care providers based on education, learning environment, business practices and the health and well being of children. Through this rating system the state will address several key issues in Wisconsin’s child care system. It will
• Improve the overall quality of child care;
• Create a clear, understandable tool for parents to choose quality child care;
• Create incentives for providers to improve services, particularly for low-income children;
• Link the quality of child care providers to Wisconsin Shares payments; and
• Help prevent fraud in the Wisconsin Shares system.