YoungStar for Providers


Red and orange YoungStar logo
YoungStar is Wisconsin’s Child Care Quality Rating & Improvement System that gives parents and child care providers the tools and information they need to raise happy, healthy children. Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W. is your local Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) office, a member of Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA), and also acts as your local YoungStar office.

As a provider, your YoungStar Technical Consultant (TC) is housed at Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W., your local CCR&R, and is your navigator through YoungStar. For more information please call 920-432-8899. Not in our agency’s service delivery area? Visit the online YoungStar office map or call (888) 713.KIDS (5437) to find your local YoungStar office.

Through YoungStar, regulated Wisconsin child care providers are regularly evaluated and rated on a 5 Star scale with a 5 Star meeting the highest level of quality standards. YoungStar raises the bar for Wisconsin child care providers by supporting and incentivizing you to develop the quality of your child care program, increasing quality care available to Wisconsin children and families. Programs can earn up to a 5 Star based on the points they earn across four key categories:

  • The Provider’s Education & Training
  • The Learning Environment & Curriculum
  • The Program’s Professional & Business Practices
  • The Children’s Health & Well-Being

High-quality child care—providing a safe, healthy place for children to learn and grow guided by dedicated professionals—can set the stage for lifelong success. YoungStar is here to help.

Here are a few tips to help you get the highest possible rating:

  1. Review Your Registry Program Profile—Keep information up to date.
  2. Create a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)—Once you complete a program Self-Assessment, (click on “Self-Assessment” drop-down), structure your QIP to assess program strengths and areas for improvement. (click on “Quality Improvement Plan” drop-down).
  3. Build Your Skills—Take advantage of free and low-cost professional development through YoungStar (click on “Education and Training” drop-down).

Child care providers can find more tips, resources and information about YoungStar online by clicking the “For Providers” tab.