Licensed Child Care Providers
The safety and health of the children you will care for is the main focus of Child Care Licensing. This is accomplished through the Wyoming Child Care Licensing Rules.
Who Needs to be Licensed?
If you are caring for more than two children who aren’t related to you, you might have to be licensed. If you do not meet any of the exemption reasons below, then you need to apply for a license. If you do not meet one of the exemptions listed above and are caring for children, you are required by Wyoming law to be licensed. It is considered a crime to operate a child care facility without a license if you are not exempt. If you are not sure whether or not you are exempt from licensing requirements, contact the Child Care Licenser for your county. The exemptions are:
- A legal parent’s or legal relative’s care of a child.
- Occasional care of a neighbor’s or friend’s child if the person providing the care does not regularly engage in the activity.
- Parents exchanging care on a cooperative basis.
- Child care provided by a person employed to come to the home of the child’s parent or guardian.
- Child care facilities providing care for no more than two unrelated children.
- Child care facilities supervised by the state, and local government, school district, agency or political subdivision thereof.
Licensing Rules and Types of Child Care Facilites
- Family Child Care Home – to provide care for 3 – 10 children in your own home without additional staff;
- Family Child Care Center – to provide care for a maximum of 15 children in your home or another building in which you do not reside with one additional staff when more than 10 children are present; or
- Child Care Center – to provide care for 16 or more children with adequate staff to meet the staff:child ratio requirements.
- Child Care Licensing Rules
How Do I Get Licensed?
You can request an application for Child Care Certification from the Child Care Licenser for your county or download a copy of the application. You will need to submit the following information with your application:
- Child/abuse neglect Central Registry checks from Wyoming and each state lived in the last 5 years results; click here
- National Sex Offender Registry check and Wyoming and State Sex Offender Registry checks from each state lived in the last 5 years;
- Results of a National criminal history background check; click here
- Proof that you have been tested for TB; click here for TB screening form
- Local zoning approval if it is required where you live;
- Documentation from a licensed health care professional that the applicant has no diagnosed conditions that would impair their ability to provide child care; click here for Physician’s Statement form
- Proof of required education, training or experience; and
- A $50.00 application fee. (Check or money order made payable to the Department of Family Services).
Additional documentation needed:
- Sample attendance record form
- Sample child record forms
- Sample staff record forms (if applicable)
- Emergency Preparedness Plan
Before your application is complete, you will be required to complete Pre-Service Training.
Once all of the items above are completed and submitted to the Child Care Licenser, the following inspections of the facility must be completed:
- Fire inspection
- Health and Sanitation inspection
- Child Care Licensing inspection
How do I renew my license:
Generally, licenses are issued for a period of 12 months.
- Child Care licenses must be renewed on or before the license expiration date. If the license expires because renewal requirements have not been met, the provider can no longer provide licensed care and payments from the Child Care Subsidy Program or the CACFP Food Program may be jeopardized.
- Renewal Inspection; click here
- Annual Training; click here
Emergency Preparedness
- Wyoming Child Care Disaster Response Guidelines and Disaster Plan for Licensed Child Care Facilities
- Emergency and Disaster Plan
How does the Department of Family Services monitor child care facilities?
Child Care Licensers are located across the state and are responsible for a caseload of licensed programs in one or more counties. At a minimum, the Child Care Licenser conducts one unannounced and one announced site visit to each licensed facility each year. In addition to the regular visits, a Child Care Licenser may visit a facility for a variety of reasons including:
- Pre-licensing visits for new programs
- Complaint investigations and non-compliance monitoring
- Technical assistance
- Follow-up visits
Documents & Forms for Child Care Providers
- CCL605 – Wyoming Child Injury Report
- CCL605 – Wyoming Child Injury Report – MS Word
- CCL608 – Physician Statement
- Health Inspection form
- Health Inspection form – MS Word
- CCL-607a – TB Yearly risk factor self assessment – MS Word
- CCL-607a – TB Yearly risk factor self assessment
- CCL100 – Application For Child Care Certification
- CCL100 – Application For Child Care Certification – MS Word
- CCL100a – Change Request Form – MS Word
- CCL_108- Fingerprint card cover letter
- CCL – 108 Background Check Labels Child Care
- CCL-609- Application For Child Care Abuse/Neglect and Adult Central Registry Screens
- CCL306-Corrective Action Plan Form
- Over The Counter (OTC) Medication Authorization Form
- Child Care Referral Update
- Variance Request
- CCL-201 Renewal Packet
- CCL -205 Staff Record Summary (word)
- CCL -205 Staff Record Summary (excel)
Helpful Tools
- Attendance Sheet
- Authorization of Medical Treatment
- Child Care Phone Interview
- Child Record Form
- Consent for Child Care Program Activities
- Daily Menu Production Record
- Daily Report Form
- Evaluating What you have planned
- Field Trip Permission Form
- Medication Administration Consent
- Physician’s Statement
- Special Care Plan
- Symptom Record
- TB
- Child Care Crisis Response Guidelines Flip chart
- Wyoming Emergency Preparedness Plan for All Facilities
Suspension & Expulsion Policy Tool Kit
- Sample policy statement (Parent Handbook) – child care center
- Sample policy statement (Parent Handbook) – child care home
- Consent forms
- Suspension & Expulsion Policy examples
- Professional Learning Collaborative Facilitators
- Wyoming Suspension & Expulsion Support Resources
- Sample Child’s Record
- Expulsion Resources
Licensing FAQ’s
Can my application for a Child Care License be denied and why?
An application may be denied if the applicant does not submit the required documentation or complete the required inspections and any compliance necessary. An application may be denied based on any disqualifying information in a Central Registry background check or in the full national fingerprint check. In addition, for reasons stated in the Wyoming Child Care Licensing Rules, Chapter 3, Section 1.
How often are child care facilities actually visited by a Child Care Licenser?
Child Care Licensing staff make a minimum of 2 visits to each facility per year. One visit is unannounced and one visit is scheduled. In addition, visits are made to investigate complaints, provide technical assistance or to conduct compliance monitoring if the facility has had a substantiated complaint.
Can a parent drop in and visit children in a child care facility at any time?
The child care rules specify that parents or guardians shall be allowed immediate access to their child’s program during the operating hours to see the child or to evaluate the care being provided.
Are child care facilities required to administer medications to children?
No, child care facilities are not required to administer medication. However, if the provider administers medication, he/or she must have competed the Medication Administration class that is required in the Child Care Licensing Rules. The Child Care Licensing Rules also address procedures that must be followed if medicine is administered which include requirements for documenting when medication is given, having written permission and instructions, and how medications must be stored.
Are background checks conducted on child care providers, directors, or staff?
Child Care Licensing Rules require a full national fingerprint criminal background check and Wyoming Central Registry background check revealing no disqualifying information. These checks must be completed on all child care providers, directors, staff, volunteers, substitutes, and household members over the age of 18.
Where do I get a copy of the Central Registry form, CCL-108 fingerprint cover letter or fingerprint cards?
Your local DFS Child Care Licenser may provide you with a copy of each form and the 2 fingerprint cards with the Child Care Application packet. If you need additional copies, you may print the forms from this website: Central Registry site or the Documents for Providers section of this site or contact your Child Care Licenser.
Where can I find training requirements for myself and staff?
Please see our Professional Development page.
Non-licensed Child Care Providers
We are currently developing our Non-licensed Child Care Providers section. While we are in the process of building this section, we encourage you to visit our Contact Us & Locations page and find an office nearest you for the latest information.
Background Checks
We are currently developing our Non-licensed Child Care Providers section. While we are in the process of building this section, we encourage you to visit our Contact Us & Locations page and find an office nearest you for the latest information.
Provider Training
Professional development refers to the ongoing training and education that gives child care providers, directors and staff the knowledge and skills they need to provide high quality early care and education for young children.
Pre-Service training for new providers, directors and staff:
- Safety and health of children
- Fire Safety
- Sanitation procedures
- First Aid and CPR
- Medication administration
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Safe sleep practices
- Blood borne pathogens
- Recognition and reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect
- Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Nutrition
- Transportation of children
Facility staff orientation:
- Facility policies and procedures
- Child Care Licensing Rules
Staff Pre-Service Training and Facility Orientation: All staff prior to assuming responsibility for unsupervised direct care of children or within 3 months of the staff’s start date shall complete the pre-service training and the facility staff orientation.
First year training credit requirements: 16 training credits total:
- Eight (8) credits of training in Early Learning Guidelines and Early Learning Foundations; and
- Eight (8) elective training credits in the area of early learning, early childhood, and/or child development.
Child Care training credits required each subsequent year, after the first license:
- Eight (8) elective training credits in the area of early learning, early childhood, and/or child development; and
- Eight (8) core credits of total training shall include all of the following areas:
- Blood borne Pathogens
- Fire Safety
- Sanitation
- Recognition and reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect
- Emergency Preparedness
- Sudden Infant death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Safe Sleep
- Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Transportation
All staff shall have Infant Child CPR and First Aid training and certification shall be kept current.
Infant/Toddler training:
- All staff working with infants or toddlers shall complete a minimum of four (4) hours of specialized infant or toddler training every two years.
- Whenever four (4) or more infants are present:
- One (1) staff shall have the Infant/Toddler Director Credential.
- At least one (1) staff person working directly with infants or toddlers shall have a minimum of eight (8) training credits of specialized training in the care of infants or toddlers every two years.
The Statewide Training and Resource System (STARS):
STARS approves all training and trainers for licensed child care providers. STARS also awards training credits to the provider after he/she has completed an approved training and maintains a record of completed training for all individuals working in licensed child care facilities.
STARS is able to assist child care providers, directors, and staff with accessing training, printing certificates, and training questions.
Please visit STARS for available on-line training to meet the training requirements listed in Chapter 4, Section 9.
The Department of Family Services contracts with Align to administer these programs. For more information contact the STARS program at
1-800-400-3999 or visit their web site at:
http://www.wyregistry.org
