The subsidy program requires that child care providers must meet health and safety standards and undergo criminal background checks in order to receive reimbursement payments. Child care providers must be licensed by the state, certified by county or tribal government, or operated by a public school in order to be eligible for reimbursement. In 1999, over 8,200 child care providers received child care subsidy payments. Each county and tribe sets maximum reimbursement rates, based on annual surveys of licensed child care providers. The number of children served has nearly doubled since 1996, due to funding connected to Wisconsin's W-2 welfare reform initiative.
Local agencies promote the program through posters, brochures, and community agencies.
Families can apply for all four services in a single application. County human and social services programs and tribal governments administer the child care subsidy payments and certification of providers. Over 1,646 facilities have received help starting or expanding child care since 1992. CCRR's worked with local teams to plan and oversee grants to help start and expand needed child care serves, to initiate innovative models for development and support of child care, and to maintain existing child care capacity. The Office of Child Care awards Quality Improvement Grants to help child care programs achieve high quality standards.