Wyoming rulebook · checked October 2026
Watching Kids at Home in Wyoming: How Many Before You Need a License?
In Wyoming, you may watch up to 2 counted children before a license is required. Care for one household's children, and care for relatives, sits outside the line entirely.
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The Wyoming line, in facts
Licensing agency: Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) — Child Care Licensing
The line: In Wyoming, you may watch up to 2 counted children before a license is required. Care for one household's children, and care for relatives, sits outside the line entirely.
The categories above the line
| Category | Capacity | What it means |
|---|
| Family Child Care Home | up to 10 | 3 to 10 children in a private home (DFS Rules ch. 5). |
| Family Child Care Center | up to 15 | Up to 15 children in a home or another building, with additional staff required above 10 (DFS Rules ch. 6). At 16 or more the program is a child care center. |
What comes with the license
- Ratios:
- Training before you open: Facility orientation and pre-service training before assuming unsupervised direct care, or within 3 months of starting, including Wyoming Early Learning Standards training.
- Training to stay open: DFS's current provider page: at least 12 training credits a year for anyone providing direct care more than 24 hours in a month or counted in ratio, including 8 health and safety credits every 2 years. (Older rule compilations said 16 credits — the DFS page is the current figure.)
- State fees: Application fee $50 for all applicants; renewal $25 (DFS Rules ch. 2 §8).
- Realistic timeline: A Wyoming rarity — a published clock: the Department must act on an application within 30 days after it is filed (filed = the complete signed form is in the licenser's hands). Required items are due at application or within 30 days, or the application is denied.
What catches people in Wyoming
- Wyoming's exemption list is long but booby-trapped: the no-combining rule quietly cancels most creative readings of it.
- Occasional care of a neighbor's or friend's child by someone not regularly in the business is exempt — 'regularly' is where arrangements die.
If you skip the line
Providing care for more than 2 children without a license, when not exempt, is a crime (DFS, under W.S. 14-4-102).
Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: W.S. §§ 14-4-101, 14-4-102 (licensure required; exemptions; operating unlicensed is a crime); Wyoming DFS Child Care Licensing Rules ch. 2 (process, $50/$25 fees, 30-day action), ch. 5 (family child care homes); Wyoming Department of Family Services — Child Care Licensing. This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) — Child Care Licensing is the final word.
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