Care4Kids Program
Care4Kids is expanding
More Wisconsin children and youth can now join Care4Kids, including:
- Children of Care4Kids members
- Youth up to age 26 who were in out-of-home care when they turned 18
Care4Kids members in out-of-home care can also live in more places and stay covered. They can move to any county and stay enrolled, as long as Chorus Community Health Plan offers services in the area.
Plus, Care4Kids now offers care coordination to youth in institutional or residential care up to 90 days before joining.
Care4Kids is a part of Wisconsin Medicaid that offers full benefit coverage to children and youth who experience out-of-home care access the health services they need, when they need them.
Care4Kids creates a “medical home” team for eligible children. Families, caregivers, and providers work together to improve children’s health.
A medical home is a concept, not a place. Each child has a team that works together to meet their needs. The medical home helps bring team members, the child, and the child’s family together. It helps to ensure the best possible medical and community health outcomes.
Members get a health care coordinator who creates a health care plan specific to their needs. These coordinators are registered nurses or advanced practice social workers who make tailored health plans for Care4Kids members. They ensure members have access to health care services and create their health care plan to meet their unique needs. They help resolve health care challenges, answer questions from the team, and help schedule appointments.
The Care4Kids Program serves about 3,000 children.
Essential children's resources
Wisconsin Wayfinder supports families of children with delays, disabilities, special health care needs, and mental health conditions. Children’s resource guides are helpers who assist families, caregivers, professionals, and organizations in finding a wide array of supports and services available through the Children’s Resource Network.
Our program goals
- Coordinated health care: Every child in Care4Kids has an HCC who works with the child and their parents, child welfare professionals, doctors, the child’s caregivers, and anyone else identified as vital to the child’s well-being to create the child's healthcare plan.
- Getting care quickly: Children get an initial health check-up within two business days and a full check within 30 days of entering foster care. This helps the team understand their medical needs right away and start any necessary care. Children also get regular checkups to stay healthy.
- Quality care: Care4Kids staff and health care providers understand the unique needs of children in out of home care. The program ensures children receive effective, efficient, and appropriate care to meet those needs.
- Complete health support: This includes everything from physical and mental health to dental and oral health needs.
- Support during transitions: Care4Kids helps ensure children continue receiving healthcare and support even after leaving out of home care.
Working as a team
Each child who is enrolled in Care4Kids has a team that works together to make a care plan that meets the specific needs of the child. The team makes sure the care plan continues to meet the child’s needs. They will change the plan if needed.
The team includes:
- A Care4Kids HCC.
- A child welfare professional.
- The child and their family members.
- Out-of-home caregivers.
- The child’s doctors.
Who can join and how
Children and youth placed in out-of-home care can join Care4Kids
Children and youth who have been placed in out-of-home care can enroll in Care4Kids. They can live in almost any county in Wisconsin, as long as the county that has child welfare jurisdiction over their case is: the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services, Kenosha, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, or Waukesha County. The counties where Care4Kids is not available are: Burnett, Pierce, Polk and St. Croix.
Soon after a child is placed in out-of-home care, the Care4Kids enrollment specialist calls the parents or legal guardian about the program and asks if the child can be enrolled. A letter is also sent to parents and legal guardians.
Children of Care4Kids members can join Care4Kids
New in 2026, the children of Care4Kids members can also enroll in Care4Kids for health care coverage. The child must be eligible for Medicaid. They don’t need to be in out-of-home care or involved in child welfare.
The Care4Kids Program will work with the parent to help them enroll their children.
Youth up to age 26 who were in out-of-home care when they turned 18 can join Care4Kids
New in 2026, Youth in Care4Kids who turned 18 on or after January 1, 2026, can stayed enrolled in Care4Kids until they turn 26. They must live in these counties:
- Kenosha County
- Ozaukee County
- Milwaukee County
- Racine County
- Washington County
- Waukesha County
A health care coordinator will talk with them about their options ahead of their 18th birthday.
Call the Care4Kids enrollment specialist
Call 800-291-2002
Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Choose the option for your language of choice. Then choose option 3 for Care4Kids.
Related topics
- Health Care and Coverage
- Children’s Hospital of WI
- Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board
- Wisconsin Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health (IDD-MH) System Improvement
- Children’s specialty managed care plan Care4KidsManaged Care Program Annual Report (MCPAR) (PDF)
- Under Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation 42 CFR § 438.66(e), states must complete one MCPAR for each managed care program in the state.
- 2025-2027 Wisconsin Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy
- The Wisconsin Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy will help DHS understand how well its health plans, including Care4Kids, are working for Medicaid members and how to make them better. The department developed this strategy using feedback from groups it works with, the latest data, and information from CMS.