8.4 Public-Private Partnerships

Lead Agencies must demonstrate how they encourage partnerships among other public agencies, Tribal organizations, private entities, faith-based organizations, businesses, or organizations that promote business involvement, and/or community-based organizations to leverage existing service delivery (i.e., cooperative agreement among providers to pool resources to pay for shared fixed costs and operation) to leverage existing child care and early education service delivery systems and to increase the supply and quality of child care services for children younger than age 13. 8.4.1 Lead Agency public-private partnerships Identify and describe any public-private partnerships encouraged by the Lead Agency to leverage public and private resources to further the goals of CCDF: Project Growth is one of key initiatives the lead agency has introduced to encourage public-private partnerships. Funding is invested in building better connections between businesses, communities, child care programs, and families through Project Growth and its two grant programs: 1. Partner Up! - (https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/projectgrowth/partner-up/faq) Partner Up! provides funding to support partnerships between businesses who purchase slots at existing regulated child care programs. Partner Up! Reimburses providers at the HYPERLINK true cost of care, as defined by the Lead Agency through an analysis of the actual costs associated with the provision of quality child care services. The enhanced funding from Partner Up! supports increases to staff compensation, pays expenses for providers, reserves child care slots for local business employees, and improves the quality of a child care program. 2. Dream Up! - (https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/projectgrowth/dream-up) The Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Grant Program awarded communities strategic planning support and $75,000 in grant funding to support a collaborative community approach, teams of community stakeholders evaluate, plan, sustain, and expand existing child care, and support new child care programs. Community-level strategic planning teams consist of stakeholders from early learning and care, local government, business, school systems, chambers of commerce, and other organizations. These initiatives are supported by business-child care advocates who work as a liaison between child care resource and referral and local community