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Representative Johnson was a speaker at the WFFCA conference this weekend, and BOY, did she let DCF have it! I wish you could have been there! She is a force to be reckoned with!
Good news for WI family providers: EVENTUALLY (2015), they will be going back to enrollment based pay and will be reviewing rates. In addition, assisted families will have "cards" similar to food-stamp cards to pay with (ETA June, 2016). They are still working out the details, but it will be a good change, I think.
In the meantime, remember to report your HIGHEST rates when you set them with DCF for county-funded kids. Because they cap at 35 hours, simply giving your weekly rate will under-report your rates, in most cases.
What I did was set up 2 rate tiers. A weekly rate, based on enrollment, that is steady, and an hourly "drop in" rate that is considerably higher. EACH family in my care can choose (remember, you cannot charge assisted families more than private pay).
When they review rates (which they haven't done since 2006), they use the rate surveys (now, the reported rates instead) to determine how they set rates. So, if your reported rates are low, it affects everyone, because it's averaged.
Just something to consider...
Good news for WI family providers: EVENTUALLY (2015), they will be going back to enrollment based pay and will be reviewing rates. In addition, assisted families will have "cards" similar to food-stamp cards to pay with (ETA June, 2016). They are still working out the details, but it will be a good change, I think.
In the meantime, remember to report your HIGHEST rates when you set them with DCF for county-funded kids. Because they cap at 35 hours, simply giving your weekly rate will under-report your rates, in most cases.
What I did was set up 2 rate tiers. A weekly rate, based on enrollment, that is steady, and an hourly "drop in" rate that is considerably higher. EACH family in my care can choose (remember, you cannot charge assisted families more than private pay).
When they review rates (which they haven't done since 2006), they use the rate surveys (now, the reported rates instead) to determine how they set rates. So, if your reported rates are low, it affects everyone, because it's averaged.
Just something to consider...