Project Growth helps Wisconsin businesses, communities, and ECE partners add services, find solutions, and innovate. The best part is — we give you money for doing it. Both partners get concrete benefits for their businesses and employees through our unique grants while ensuring a stable, high-quality workforce in Wisconsin.

Partner Up! Grant Program

Helping businesses secure affordable child care slots for employees

The Partner Up! grant program will provide $10 million in funding to support child care for Wisconsin’s businesses.

Through Partner Up!, businesses can reserve subsidized slots in regulated local child care programs for their employees’ use. The employer will contribute part of the true cost of care for each slot reserved, and Partner Up! will contribute the remaining amount. Participating families will receive accessible, high-quality child care at little-to-no out-of-pocket cost to them.

Detailed information, including costs and eligibility, can be found on DCF’s Partner Up! webpage.

Go to the Partner Up! website

Partner Up! Informational Webinars

Watch the recorded Partner Up! webinar.

Download the corresponding presentation.


Apply for Partner Up!     

Application period is closed.

Who Should Apply:
  • Businesses
  • Child care providers who want to help sponsor the cost of their employees’ child care

Child care providers interested in accepting children through Partner Up! should contact the 4C Partner Up! Business Child Care Advocate team.

Carolyn Dame: 262-894-1417 or cdame@4cfc.org

Sabrina Kranjac: 414-303-2919 or skranjac@4cfc.org

Patricia Woods-Clark: 262-901-5477 or pwoods-clark@4cfc.org

Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building Grant Program

The Dream Up! grants support communities through a collaborative community approach, teams will work to evaluate, plan, sustain existing child care, and expand it in areas where there is need.

Learn more about Dream Up! https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/projectgrowth/dream-up

Applications for Dream Up! Cohort 3 will be open February 20 – March 17, 2023