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Home Daycare License Requirements in Wyoming (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Wyoming means getting a family child care home license from the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS), Early Childhood / Child Care Licensing. Here is exactly what that takes in 2026 — your capacity limit and ratios, the training and background checks, the application steps, and the postings and enrollment forms you need — sourced to the state’s own rules and dated.

Who needs a license — home types in Wyoming

Wyoming tiers home/family care into three license types by CAPACITY and SETTING (Ch.11 §2(a); Ch.9 §2(a)(iii)): (1) FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME — a facility caring for no more than 10 children in the provider's PRIMARY RESIDENCE (classified Residential for fire, Chapter 9); (2) FAMILY CHILD CARE CENTER — in a residence or a commercial building, licensed for up to 15 children (classified Educational / Group E for fire, Chapter 10); (3) CHILD CARE CENTER — in a non-residence, 16 or more children. Important: the home/center line is drawn by capacity and setting, NOT by whether staff are employed — a Family Child Care Home MAY employ additional qualified staff (Ch.11 §3). Licensing is generally triggered once a person cares for MORE THAN 2 children (i.e., 3 or more) who are not related to them (2 or fewer unrelated children, and certain part-time / single-immediate-family / school-closure programs, are exempt).

How many children you can care for in Wyoming

Up to 10 children for a Family Child Care Home, located in the provider's primary residence (Ch.11 §2(a)(i); Ch.9 §2(a)(iii)). Actual licensed capacity is further limited by indoor/outdoor square footage and approved room capacities. The provider's OWN children under age 5 count toward the 10-child capacity AND into staff:child ratios (Ch.11 §2(a)(vi)(A)); friends aged 5 or older of the provider's own children are limited to 2 at a time without being counted, as long as the provider is present on site. To serve 11–15 children, the provider must instead hold a Family Child Care Center license. NOTE: a Family Child Care Home is NOT restricted to a single caregiver — it may employ additional qualified staff, and the owner must be onsite at least 75% of operating hours with a qualified adult staff person present for the remainder (Ch.11 §3(d)(i), §3(e)(ii)).

Adult-to-child ratios

Staff:child ratios and maximum group size from the Ch.11 §2(b) table (age bands by youngest child; scenarios may not be combined). INFANTS (birth–12 months): 1 staff = 1:4; 2 staff = 2:8; 3 staff = 3:10 (max group 10). ONE-YEAR-OLDS: 1:5; 2:10; 3:12. TWO-YEAR-OLDS: 1:8; 2:16; 3:18. THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS: 1:12; 2:24; 3:30. SCHOOL AGE (5+): 1:18; 2:32; 3:40. MIXED AGE Option 1: 1 staff 1:8 with no more than 2 infants and no more than 2 one-year-olds; 2 staff 2:15 with no more than 4 infants, 4 one-year-olds, 4 two-year-olds, or 3 three-year-olds or older. MIXED AGE Option 2: 1:10 with no more than 2 children under age 2. For mixed groups of 2-year-olds and older, defer to the ratio of the youngest child (1:8 if youngest is 2, 1:12 if 3–4, 1:18 if 5+). A Family Child Care Home is capped at 10 children total regardless of ratio.

Training you must complete before licensure

The owner/director must complete the Department-approved PRE-SERVICE training PRIOR to license issuance (Ch.11 §4(a)). It must include, at minimum: emergency preparedness/disaster planning (including facility violence); building and physical-premises safety incl. fire safety, hazards, bodies of water and vehicular traffic; sanitation and hazardous-materials handling; pediatric AND adult first aid and pediatric AND adult CPR (with in-person skills demonstration from a certified instructor); medication administration; SIDS prevention and safe sleep; infectious disease control; recognition and mandatory reporting of child abuse/neglect; prevention of shaken baby syndrome; prevention of abusive head trauma and child maltreatment; prevention/response to food and other allergic reactions; transportation safety (if children are transported); and the Wyoming Early Learning Standards (child development). Staff caring for infants must complete an additional minimum of 2 training credits on specialized infant care each year (Ch.11 §4(d)). All staff must also complete facility orientation training (Ch.11 §4(b)).

Ongoing (annual) training

Minimum 12 training credits annually (ongoing training) for any person who, for more than 24 hours in any month, provides direct care or is counted in the staff:child ratio, in early learning / early childhood / child development topics (Ch.11 §4(c)(i)). Within that, 8 health-and-safety credits (the pre-service topics except the Early Learning Standards) must be taken every 2 years (§4(c)(i)(A)). CPR and first aid must be maintained current with Department-approved training including an in-person skills demonstration, 1 credit applied per training within each 2-year period (§4(c)(i)(B)). Training taken before the initial license is issued does NOT count toward the ongoing 12 credits (§4(c)(iii)). Confirm current credit definitions and any updates with Wyoming DFS Child Care Licensing.

Background checks

Required for the applicant AND all staff, and every household member 18 years or older residing in (or moving into) the facility, covering all states lived in for the past 5 years, with no disqualifying information, and completed before licensure (Ch.2 §2(c)(ii)): (A) Central Registry / child abuse and neglect check; (B) fingerprint-based STATE and NATIONAL criminal history record check; and (C) National and State Sex Offender Registry checks.

The application, step by step

Work through these in order — the prep packet turns them into a checklist you can tick off:

1. Confirm you need a license (caring for more than 2 unrelated children in your home) and that the Family Child Care Home type (up to 10 children, in your primary residence) fits your plan; contact your county DFS Child Care Licenser.
2. Complete the required background checks for yourself, all staff, and every household member 18+ : fingerprint-based national and state criminal history, Central Registry / child abuse-neglect screens, and state/national Sex Offender Registry checks (Ch.2 §2(c)(ii)) — submit the fingerprint materials to the DFS Background Check Unit.
3. Complete health documentation: TB Risk Factor Self-Assessment (CCL-607a) and, if indicated, the Physician's Statement and Release of Medical Information (CCL-608).
4. Complete the Department-approved pre-service training, including in-person pediatric/adult CPR and first aid skills demonstration, BEFORE the license is issued (Ch.11 §4(a)).
5. Obtain required state/local fire, sanitation, and zoning inspections/approvals where required — a family child care home falls under the Chapter 9 residential fire classification (Ch.2 §2(c)(i)).
6. Submit the completed, signed and dated child care facility license application with the $25.00 licensing fee and documentation of the items above; remaining required items may be filed within 30 days of a complete signed application (Ch.2 §2(c)).
7. Pass the on-site licensing inspection: within 30 days of a filed application the Licenser conducts a scheduled inspection and either issues a one-year license, issues a provisional license (not to exceed 6 months), or denies the application (Ch.2 §2(d), §7).
8. Post the license and required notices, maintain records on-site, complete ongoing training (12 credits/year), and renew the license annually with the $25.00 renewal fee (Ch.2 §9, §10).

What you must post on your walls

• A copy of the facility's license, in a prominent location
• A notice that parents may request access to licensing inspection reports, complaint and compliance history, staff:child ratio requirements, and board-member contact information (if applicable)
• Emergency phone numbers for the fire department, police, rescue/ambulance, the poison center, and the child abuse reporting hotline, plus the facility's location
• The evacuation route
• The current weekly menu
• Legible pool safety rules posted in the pool area, if applicable
• Diaper/training-pants changing procedure posted where diapers are changed, and handwashing procedure posted in food-prep/hand-hygiene/diapering/toileting areas (specifically required for Family Child Care Centers and Child Care Centers)

Enrollment forms for each child

• Child Care Facility License Application (DFS Child Care Licensing)
• Fingerprint Cover Letter and Results form (CCL-108) — form number not stated in the rule text; confirm with DFS
• DCI Waiver and Release form
• Application for Child Care Abuse/Neglect and Adult Central Registry Screens
• Tuberculosis Risk Factor Self-Assessment (CCL-607a) — confirm current form number with DFS
• Physician's Statement and Release of Medical Information (CCL-608) — confirm current form number with DFS

What's specific about getting licensed in Wyoming

Wyoming's genuinely distinctive trap is that a provider's OWN children under age 5 count against a Family Child Care Home's 10-child cap AND into the staff:child ratios (Ch.11 §2(a)(vi)(A)) — so a provider with two toddlers of her own effectively has only 8 paid slots, and those two also consume infant/toddler ratio room. The second Wyoming-specific point is that the home/center line is drawn by CAPACITY and SETTING, not by staffing: a Family Child Care Home (primary residence, ≤10 children) sits under Chapter 9's RESIDENTIAL fire classification, while going to 11–15 children flips you into a Family Child Care Center, which Chapter 10 classifies as an EDUCATIONAL (Group E) occupancy with stricter fire/life-safety standards. Watch a common misconception: a Family Child Care Home is NOT a solo-only license — you may employ additional qualified staff, and in fact must have a qualified adult present for roughly the 25% of hours the owner is away (owner must be onsite ≥75%, Ch.11 §3).

How long it takes and what it costs in Wyoming

Timeline: Realistically 1–3 months. After a complete, signed application is filed, the Licenser must conduct the on-site inspection and act within 30 days (Ch.2 §2(d)); the pacing item is usually the fingerprint-based state/national background results (often several weeks) and scheduling fire/health/sanitation inspections, all of which should be started first. If items are still pending, the state can issue a provisional license (not to exceed 6 months, Ch.2 §7) to let you open while you finish.

Cost: $25.00 application/licensing fee, plus a $25.00 renewal fee each year (Ch.2 §9). Fingerprinting/criminal-history processing fees and a CPR/first-aid certification course are additional out-of-pocket costs that vary by vendor — confirm current amounts with Wyoming DFS and the fingerprinting/CPR provider.

Source: https://dfs.wyo.gov/providers/child-care-2/licensing-rules/ ; https://dfs.wyo.gov/providers/child-care-2/who-needs-to-be-licensed/ ; https://dfs.wyo.gov/providers/child-care-2/background-check-faqs/ ; DFS Child Care Facility Licensing Rules Chapter 1 (General Provisions), Chapter 2 (Licensing Process), Chapter 9 (Fire Standards for Family Child Care Homes — Residential), Chapter 10 (Fire Standards for Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Centers — Educational/Group E), and Chapter 11 (Health and Safety Requirements for All Facility Types), April 2026 revision; W.S. §§ 14-4-101 through 14-4-117; W.S. § 9-2-2104(a)(vii); W.S. § 14-4-104

Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.