Wyoming child care, camp and ratio rules

Child care licensing

Anyone caring for more than two unrelated children must be licensed by DFS unless an exemption applies (W.S. 14-4-102; Ch. 2 §1). License types are family child care homes (up to 10 children in the owner's home), family child care centers (up to 15) and child care centers (16 or more, in a non-residential building) (Ch. 11 §2(a)).

After-school and recreation programs: Exempt are after-school programs that operate mainly when school is out (before and after school and in summer), serve only children of compulsory school age, are organized for learning, youth development, enrichment, recreation or character-building, and follow local health, safety and fire codes (W.S. 14-4-102(b)(x)). Programs run or supervised by the state, a local government or a school district fall outside the definition of a child caring facility (W.S. 14-4-101(a)(vi)), and summer camps run by nonprofits are exempt (14-4-102(b)(viii)).

Licensing agency: Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS), Child Care Licensing

Sources: DFS Child Care Licensing Rules page (updated April 2026); Ch. 11, Health and Safety Requirements for All Facility Types; DFS: Who Needs to be Licensed?; Wyoming Statutes Title 14 (W.S. 14-4-101, 14-4-102)

Staff-to-child ratios in licensed centers

Rule: Wyoming DFS Child Care Licensing Rules, Ch. 11 §2(b) (rules updated April 2026). One table covers all licensed facility types. '3 and 4-Year-Olds' are 1:12 (2 staff for 24, maximum group 30 with 3 staff); 'School Age (5+)' is 1:18 (2 staff for 32, maximum group 40 with 3 staff), so 5-year-olds use the school-age ratio. Mixed groups of 2-year-olds and older use the youngest child's ratio, and group size may be exceeded for up to an hour at opening and closing, meals and special events as long as ratios are kept.

Work out your staffing with the ratio calculator

Summer camps

Wyoming has no youth camp licensing law in its statutes. Summer camps run by nonprofit organizations are exempt from DFS child care licensing (W.S. 14-4-102(b)(viii)), but a for-profit day camp caring for more than two unrelated children may need a DFS child care license unless another exemption applies, such as the after-school and summer program exemption for children of compulsory school age (14-4-102(b)(x)). 'Ranches for children', including summer-only ranches, are listed as child caring facilities that need DFS certification (W.S. 14-4-101(a)(vi)(J)).

Sources: Wyoming Statutes Title 14 (W.S. 14-4-101, 14-4-102); DFS: Who Needs to be Licensed?

Background checks

Before working, owners, directors, staff, substitutes, volunteers present during operating hours, and household members 18 and older need a Central Registry (child abuse and neglect) check in Wyoming and every state lived in for the past 5 years, national and state sex offender registry checks, an FBI fingerprint check, and state criminal history checks (Ch. 11 §3(g)). The Central Registry and Wyoming sex offender checks repeat every year, and the FBI, state criminal and national sex offender checks repeat every 5 years. No state background check requirement for youth camps was found.

Sources: Ch. 11 §3(g), Background Checks; DFS Child Care Background Check Information

Giving medication

Staff may give medicine only after DFS-approved preservice training that includes medication administration, renewed every 2 years, and with written parent permission for each prescription or over-the-counter medicine (child, medicine, dose, instructions, date and time; for 'as needed' medicine the parent must be called that day first). Prescription medicine must keep its original label, be stored with child-safety caps out of children's reach, and be logged; parents are told the same day, and errors or reactions must be reported to the parent and Licensing within 24 hours (Ch. 11 §17).

Free medication administration log

Sources: Ch. 11 §17, Medication Administration

Reporting child abuse

Every person who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect a child is abused or neglected must report immediately to DFS (the local child protective agency) or local law enforcement (W.S. 14-3-205). Staff of a school, facility or agency must also tell the person in charge, who then also has to make sure a report is made.

How to report in Wyoming: No single statewide number published: call the local DFS field office (listed on the DFS contact page) or local law enforcement; 911 in an emergency (how to report). In an emergency, call 911.

Sources: W.S. 14-3-205 (Title 14); DFS Reporting Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation; DFS local office contacts