City of Madison Accreditation is offered to family child care providers only through Satellite. All Satellite providers are either accredited or working toward their accreditation. Accredited providers are closely monitored to make sure they meet the accreditation standards [pdf]. If you provide family child care, find out how you can get accredited!
A provider must be county certified or state licensed to be City of Madison accredited. Accreditation is a higher standard of regulation than licensing or certification. Accredited providers must meet the accreditation standards [pdf].
If a provider cares for four or more children, state licensing is mandatory. The government licensing agency for child care in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. The Wisconsin Child Care Improvment Project offers more information about the family child care licensing process.
4-C offers Dane County certification. County-certified providers can care for families of children receiving county funding.
See descriptions of these three types of regulated care [pdf]
Compare and contrast them on our comparison chart [pdf]
All Satellite family child care programs are closely monitored through regular visits by our trained consultants.
All Satellite providers are either accredited or working toward their accreditation. Most Satellite providers begin as . They have achieved regulation in the form of licensing or certification, and agree to work toward completing Satellite membership requirements.
have obtained liability insurance and health certification. They continue to work toward meeting Madison Accreditation Standards.
meet all City of Madison accreditation standards [pdf] and meet all Satellite membership requirements. Accredited providers can care for children whose care is subsidized by the City of Madison. Satellite consultants visit providers a minimum of 5 times per year to ensure they are meeting the standards, and each provider goes through the reaccreditation process annually. Only accredited providers appear on the Satellite referral list.
YoungStar is Wisconsin's five-star quality rating and improvement system for child care. Satellite Accreditation is recognized by the system as an indicator of quality and equals a 4-star rating on the scale. Educational level can bring an accredited family child care provider to the 5-star level.
For more about our accredited providers, in their own words, see our Who Are Our Providers? page.
Our
advisory committee is made up of provider, family, and community representatives and meets every other month. See the most recent approved advisory committee meeting minutes [pdf].
Three times a year we publish an electronic newsletter with information for both providers and families.
Recent issues:
Winter 2012 [pdf English]
Winter 2012 [pdf Spanish]
Fall 2011 [pdf English]
Fall 2011 [pdf Spanish]
Spring 2011 [pdf English]
Spring 2011 [pdf Spanish]
Winter 2011 [pdf]
Fall 2010 [pdf]
Spring 2010 [pdf]
To receive future issues, join our mailing list (see below).
All are welcome to join our electronic mailing list and receive our newsletters and information about upcoming trainings. We do not share our mailing list with anyone. Send your email address to satellitefcc@dcpcinc.org.
Satellite formed in 1975 and was an independent not-for-profit agency for 25 years before merging with Dane County Parent Council, Inc. (DCPC) in January 2000. DCPC administers the Head Start, Early Head Start, and Even Start programs in Dane and Green counties.
Satellite receives funding from the City of Madison, United Way, and the University of Wisconsin. The remainder of our funding comes from parent and provider fees and from other business and community partners.
Satellite participates in research into supporting quality in home-based child care. The compendium of 23 initiatives, co-authored by Toni Porter, includes us!
Satellite brochure [pdf] |
