Satellite Family Child Care System offers support and accreditation services for family child care providers throughout Wisconsin.
Satellite values excellence in family child care as defined by the City of Madison Accreditation Standards. High-quality early care and education experiences are vital to the positive growth and development of young children.
09/09/2025
Join the Satellite team at Child Care Partnership's Early Learning Conference on November 1 in Eau Claire! Click on the following links for more information.
Learn more and register for the conference: https://www.childcarepartnership.org/early_learning_conference.phtml
Respond to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/17EdJ7XjJn/
06/09/2025
In support of continuing public funding for early childhood education, this video https://youtu.be/ILOt4SGS6zw may be shared widely. We encourage you to send it to your Wisconsin legislators along with a personal message about the impact of public funding (or the loss of funding) on your family child care program.
An easy way to advocate for continued public funding of early childhood programs:
The following link from Raising Wisconsin has a pre-written letter that will be sent to your legislators via your address. We suggest adding the link to the video after the final sentence: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/wisconsin-must-invest-in-child-care-in-the-2025-27-state-budget?source=direct_link
Wisconsin Family Child Care Educators Speak Out Satellite invited early childhood educators to speak out at the Wisconsin Family Child Care Association Conference in Green Bay. This was their response. We ...
04/17/2025
What a great day for advocacy! Satellite staff is at the capitol talking to assembly and senators to help make your voices heard that we need continued child care funding in Wisconsin! There are a lot of ways you can advocate as well; consider sharing how you advocate to inspire others to try something new!
03/04/2025
Infancy begins a critical period of motor development. Join us next Tuesday, March 11 from 1-2pm to explore gross motor milestones throughout the first year of life, the unique benefits of floor play, and pediatric recommendations for the use of infant containers (for example, bouncers, activity chairs, and swings). Participants will learn from occupational therapist Gretchen Becker-Crabb how to safely engage infants in floor play, including tummy time, in a mixed-aged environment. Register here: https://forms.gle/3JzpvCgj1A2vYXju7
01/29/2025
Agencies in Madison, Dane County working to understand how Trump's pause on federal grants effects them MADISON, Wis. -- Even though a judge has delayed President Trump's federal funding pause until Monday, local organizations Tuesday were still navigating what happened if they did lose access to
01/28/2025
Risky play is unstructured play that involves some risk of injury – physical or emotional – and supports self-regulation, self-awareness, and self-confidence. Join us next Tuesday, February 4 from 1–2pm for another offering of Exploring Quality in Family Child Care: Risky Play. We will reflect on our personal approaches to risky play, hear from other family child care professionals, and learn strategies for supporting children’s natural inclination to push boundaries. Register here: https://forms.gle/yKHYAJcTpfzw3t5q8
01/02/2025
Open-ended questions, or prompts with many possible responses, support children’s pre-literacy and critical thinking skills. Join us next Tuesday, January 7 from 1-2PM to learn techniques for providing open-ended statements that develop children’s thinking, vocabulary, and social-emotional skills. We will explore how adults support meaningful conversations and expand learning for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school agers with open-ended questions. Register here: https://forms.gle/F8XMkjUsF1EKzUwP7
Satellite values excellence in family child care as defined by the City of Madison Accreditation Standards. High-quality early care and education experiences are vital to the positive growth and development of young children.
Family Child Care is relationship-based care which takes place in a provider's home. It promotes strong relationships between providers, the children, their families, and the extended family connected to them.
City Accreditation means Quality Child Care for Madison Area Families. Providers who are members of Satellite make a commitment to become City Accredited and offer quality family child care that meets a higher set of standards than state licensing or county certification regulations require.
Although each family child care program is unique, City of Madison Accreditation promotes high quality in each home setting. To become City of Madison Accredited, providers must complete a thorough accreditation process with a Satellite Child Care Consultant. This unique City Accreditation process emphasizes many hours of direct observation of the program in action with children.