Wisconsin Shares Childcare Subsidy for Relative Caregivers

What Wisconsin Shares Pays For

Wisconsin Shares is the state's childcare subsidy program, helping low-income families cover the cost of licensed childcare, certified family childcare, and in some cases, care by a qualified relative provider. For grandparents and kinship caregivers raising young children, the subsidy can mean the difference between affording childcare and giving up work or other commitments.

The program pays a portion of your childcare costs directly to the provider. The amount depends on your income, the child's age, the type of provider, and your county.

Court-Ordered Kinship Caregivers Get the Best Deal

If you're caring for a child under a court order (CHIPS or JIPS placement) and receiving Kinship Care payments, Wisconsin Shares gives you three significant advantages:

$0 copayment. You pay nothing toward childcare costs. The full subsidy goes to the provider.

No asset limit. The standard Wisconsin Shares asset ceiling of $25,000 in liquid assets does not apply to you.

Income based on the parents, not you. Your financial eligibility is determined by the biological parents' income at the time the child was removed — not your income as the caregiver. If the parents had low or no income when the child was placed, you qualify regardless of your own retirement income or savings.

These exemptions are under Wis. Stat. § 49.155 and apply specifically to relatives caring for children under court-ordered placements who are also receiving Kinship Care payments.

Voluntary Kinship Caregivers

If you're caring for the child voluntarily — no court order involved — you apply for Wisconsin Shares under the standard rules:

• Income limit: 200% of the Federal Poverty Level to enter the program. Once enrolled, you remain eligible up to 85% of State Median Income.
• Copayment: Based on your household income and size. Lower income means a lower copay.
• Asset limit: $25,000 in countable liquid assets.

Under standard rules, your income as the caregiver does count. A grandparent on Social Security may find their income pushes the household above the entry threshold, depending on household size.

How to Apply

Applications go through the ACCESS portal (access.wisconsin.gov), your local Income Maintenance agency, or your county's childcare referral agency. You can apply for Wisconsin Shares on the same ACCESS application as BadgerCare Plus and FoodShare.

You'll need to identify a childcare provider (or confirm one you're already using), verify that the child is in your care, and provide income documentation. For court-ordered placements, you'll also need your court order and Kinship Care eligibility documentation.

Relative Care Providers

If a relative will provide childcare, confirm with your local agency whether that person can be certified as a provider and paid through Wisconsin Shares. Provider certification requirements apply.

The Wisconsin Kinship Financial Help Guide covers Wisconsin Shares alongside every other financial program — Kinship Care, BadgerCare Plus, FoodShare, and emergency assistance — with the application sequence and forms in one place.

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