Opening a family child care home in Wyoming: the DFS license for up to 10 children

One rulebook, three classifications

Wyoming licenses every child care setting through one agency, the Department of Family Services (DFS) Child Care Licensing, under one set of rules. The license you get depends on where you operate and how many children you take ⁠²:

The statute calls this “certification” (W.S. 14-4-101 to 117). DFS says “licensing.” The rules treat the two words as interchangeable ⁠⁴. The application form, CCL-100, is titled “Application for Child Care Certification.” On that form you choose one box: FCCH (“3-10 children, must be in the provider’s home”), FCCC or CCC ⁠¹⁰.

The FCCH tier fits you only if you live in the house. If you want to run care in a rental you don’t live in, or plan to grow past 10 children, the family child care center rules apply. They are stricter about the director: the director must be at least 21 and have one year of combined education and experience in early childhood ⁠². For 16 or more children, see the Wyoming child care center license.

The more-than-two-children trigger and the exemptions

Chapter 2 of the rules says anyone who cares for more than two children needs a license unless W.S. 14-4-101 and 102 exempt them ⁠¹. The statute itself exempts “day-care agencies providing care for less than three (3) minors” ⁠⁸. DFS’s published exemptions include ⁠⁷:

• care by a child’s legal parent or a legal relative;
• occasional care of a neighbor’s or friend’s child by someone who doesn’t do it regularly;
• parents trading care cooperatively;
• a caregiver hired to come to the child’s own home;
• care for no more than two unrelated children, or for the children of only one immediate family;
• a caregiver hired to look after up to four children from more than one family, with no more than two under age 2, in one family’s home;
• part-time programs with fewer than eight children who are all over 36 months old, or fewer than ten who are all over 48 months old. These programs may give no medication, prepare no food, and accept only toilet-trained children. They are limited to 10 hours of attendance per child each week, and staff must have registry checks and current CPR and first aid;
• qualifying after-school programs, nonprofit summer camps, and programs supervised by government.

You can’t stack exemptions to get around the limit. Combined, they still allow no more than two unrelated children unless all of them come from one family. Grandparents may never care for more than six children in total ⁠¹. If you are exempt, you can still ask for a voluntary license ⁠¹. That is worth doing if you want parents who receive state child care assistance (see the section on ECARES below).

The penalty for operating without a license is real. W.S. 14-4-111 makes it a misdemeanor with a fine of $50 to $200 per offense, and every day of operation counts as a separate offense ⁠⁸. DFS tells anyone unsure whether they are exempt to call the Child Care Licenser for their county ⁠⁷.

How the 10-child cap counts your own children

Ten is a ceiling, not a guarantee. Your licensed capacity is the lowest of three limits: 10 children, your indoor play space and your outdoor play space ⁠².

• Your own children. Your children under age 5 count toward capacity and ratios. Children 5 or older don’t. Up to two friends of your own children, aged 5 or older, can also be there without counting, as long as you are home ⁠².
• Indoor space. Each child needs at least 35 square feet of usable play space, available all day. Hallways, stairways, closets, furnace rooms, storage, food-preparation areas, bathrooms and offices don’t count. A kitchen dining area counts if children can use it all day. Where cribs or pack ’n plays stay set up in the play area, each infant or toddler needs 50 square feet ⁠². For 10 children, that means at least 350 square feet of qualifying floor space.
• Outdoor space. You need 75 square feet per child. A play area used only by children 24 months and younger needs 50 square feet per child. If you don’t have enough, you need a DFS-approved plan to rotate children through the yard. The play area must be fenced (by a fence, wall or natural barrier) at least 4 feet high, with no more than 3.5 inches of gap at the bottom ⁠².

The licenser measures indoor and outdoor play space at the first inspection and again after any change ⁠¹.

Ratios when you work alone

The ratio table in Chapter 11 applies during all hours of operation. You can’t combine scenarios. Any open spot can go to a child older than the one the spot was set for ⁠².

In practice, one person can fill all 10 FCCH spots only if no more than two of the children are under age 2 (option 2) or the youngest child is 3 or older. For groups where the youngest child is 2 or older, use the ratio for the youngest age: 1:8 if the youngest is 2, 1:12 if the youngest is 3 or 4, and 1:18 if the youngest is 5 ⁠². Infants are birth to 12 months and toddlers are 12 to 36 months ⁠⁴.

Supervision rules in a home differ from those in a center. You count in the ratio while doing light cleaning and food service, as long as the children stay within sight and sound ⁠². Awake infants and toddlers need direct supervision. Three- and four-year-olds in an adjacent room must be checked visually every few minutes. Napping children out of sight must be within easy hearing ⁠². All children must be on the same floor as a staff member at all times. Baby monitors and cameras don’t count as supervision ⁠². That rules out a basement playroom while you cook upstairs.

If you offer care after 7:00 p.m., more rules apply. Children get a full evening meal, and breakfast if they stay overnight, unless they go home before 8:00 a.m. Each child needs a separate bed or crib. Children of the opposite sex older than 6 sleep separately, unless they are siblings and you have written permission from a parent. Overnight in a home, you must be on the same floor as the children and able to hear them ⁠².

Owner qualifications and the 75% rule

An FCCH owner must be at least 18 and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Any other staff must be at least 16 ⁠². DFS’s application checklist asks for a copy of your diploma and a résumé of your experience with young children ⁠⁹. The CCL-100 also requires a physician’s statement and a tuberculosis risk self-assessment ⁠¹⁰.

You must also be on site. FCCH owners must be present at least 75% of operating hours. Whenever you are away, a qualified adult must be in charge, with enough training, the authority to make decisions, and access to the child and staff records ⁠². Family child care center directors have a lower minimum, 50% ⁠². This is one practical difference between the two tiers for an owner who wants to step back from daily care.

Background checks for everyone 18 and older in the house

These checks cover you, every adult employee, substitute and volunteer, and every household member 18 or older, including anyone moving in ⁠²:

• a Wyoming Central Registry (child abuse and neglect) check, plus a registry check from every state lived in during the past five years;
• national (NCIC) and state sex offender registry checks for Wyoming and every state lived in during the past five years;
• a full FBI fingerprint-based national criminal history check;
• a state criminal history check for Wyoming and every state lived in during the past five years.

The Wyoming Central Registry and state sex offender checks are repeated every year ⁠². Under the rules, a “household member” is anyone who keeps belongings at, gets mail at, uses ID with, or regularly eats and sleeps at the address ⁠⁴. By that test, an adult child who moves back home for the summer could count.

For fingerprints, you submit two DCI FBI fingerprint cards, the CCL-108 cover letter and a DCI waiver. You also send a cashier’s check or money order made out to the State of Wyoming. Everything goes to the DFS Background Check Unit, 2300 Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002. DFS forwards the cards to the Division of Criminal Investigation, then returns the CCL-108 marked eligible or ineligible. That form stays on file at your home ⁠¹¹. Your local law enforcement agency sets its own hours and fees for rolling the prints ⁠¹¹. The DFS pages and the CCL-105B checklist do not state the processing fee, only that the payment is a cashier’s check or money order to the State of Wyoming. Ask DFS Licensing Support (307-777-3540) for the amount before you mail the cards ⁠⁹⁠¹¹.

DFS won’t issue a license while Child Care Licensing, law enforcement or Child Protective Services has an open investigation against you, a staff member or a household member ⁠¹. Once licensed, you must report any change in household members ⁠¹.

Training before the license, then credits each year

The owner must complete DFS-approved pre-service training before the license is issued. Training finished in the 12 months before licensure counts ⁠². The required topics are ⁠²:

• emergency preparedness;
• building and premises safety;
• sanitation and hazardous materials;
• pediatric and adult first aid and CPR, including an in-person skills demonstration with a certified instructor;
• medication administration;
• SIDS prevention and safe sleep;
• infectious disease control;
• recognizing and reporting child abuse;
• shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma;
• allergic reactions;
• transportation safety (skip this if you never transport children);
• the Wyoming Early Learning Standards.

The application checklist says you can complete pre-service training through STARS, the Wyoming Statewide Training and Resource System. You also submit a signed statement or STARS transcript showing you reviewed the current licensing rules ⁠⁹. Within three months of taking charge, you must also complete an approved new director training plan and an on-site visit ⁠².

After licensing, anyone who provides direct care or counts in the ratio for more than 24 hours a month needs 12 training credits a year. Eight health and safety credits are due every two years. Training taken before your first license doesn’t count toward these credits ⁠². Caring for infants adds two specialized infant credits a year. Once four or more infants are present, at least one caregiver needs a DFS-recognized Infant/Toddler Credential and four infant credits a year ⁠². One college credit hour equals 15 training credits, and one CEU equals 10 ⁠².

Getting the house past the fire official

Chapter 9 sets the fire standards for child care homes. They are enforced by the fire official (the “authority having jurisdiction” under W.S. 35-9-101 to 130). DFS takes license action on the fire inspector’s recommendations. The inspector can also order fixes for hazards the chapter doesn’t list ⁠³. The items that most often mean construction work in a house:

• Smoke and CO alarms. Smoke alarms go outside each sleeping area, in each room used for sleeping, and on every level including basements. Test them every month and keep a record. Every child care facility needs carbon monoxide detectors ⁠³.
• Garage. For applicants after the rule took effect, the garage must be separated from the house and attic by at least 1/2-inch sheetrock on the garage side. The door to the house must be solid wood or steel at least 1-3/8 inches thick. No garage may open directly into a sleeping room ⁠³.
• Exits. The fire official decides how many exits you need. A sliding patio door with an approved landing can be the second exit; windows and garages can’t. Exit doors must open from the inside without a key. Deadbolts, chains and night latches are not allowed during child care hours. A basement used for care needs two approved exits, one leading directly outside ⁠³.
• Sleeping rooms. Each needs an emergency escape opening of at least 5.7 square feet, at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, with the sill no more than 44 inches off the floor. In a basement sleeping room, the opening must be a door ⁠³.
• Extinguishers. You need at least one 2A-10:BC extinguisher per 3,000 square feet, no more than 75 feet from any point, mounted with the top no higher than 5 feet. Check it yourself monthly and have it serviced annually under NFPA 10 ⁠³.

Chapter 11 adds drills: an evacuation drill monthly, a shelter-in-place drill every six months and a lockdown drill once a year, all recorded ⁠².

Space, water, weapons and the rest of the home inspection

Several Chapter 11 rules apply directly to a home ⁠²:

• Rooms children use stay between 60 °F and 80 °F.
• Hot water at faucets children use can’t exceed 120 °F.
• Children’s sinks must be 24 to 36 inches high, or you provide sturdy stools.
• Lead-based paint must be removed, covered, or tested for dust lead.
• Firearms and ammunition must be out of children’s reach, including outdoors and in vehicles, and stored and locked separately from each other. No explosives are allowed on the premises.
• No tobacco or e-cigarettes in play areas or vehicles. In a private residence, no smoking indoors during operating hours.
• Dogs, cats and ferrets need current vaccinations. The application checklist asks for vaccination records for every animal on site ⁠⁹.

On a well? A private water supply needs a bacterial test before you open and every six months after. If you care for infants, it also needs a nitrate test every three years. Tests must be done by an EPA-certified or accredited laboratory ⁠². The application checklist asks for bacteria and nitrate results with your packet ⁠⁹.

Food safety in a family child care home is inspected by DFS or the local public health department, before licensure and at least once a year ⁠⁵. DFS posts a Sanitation Child Care Self Check Form in its new-provider toolkit ⁠⁹.

Under W.S. 14-4-116, every child older than 18 months must be fully immunized, and you are responsible for checking each child’s immunization status ⁠⁸.

Policies and paperwork DFS wants with the application

Chapter 11 lists the written policies every program needs unless a topic doesn’t apply ⁠²:

• fees and payment, hours, ages accepted, holidays, services, and what you expect of parents;
• releasing children only to authorized people;
• infant safe sleep;
• overnight care;
• weapons on the premises;
• pools and water;
• pets;
• sick children and exclusions;
• food allergies;
• special health care needs;
• excluding ill staff;
• medication;
• emergency preparedness;
• discipline, including expulsion and suspension;
• transportation and field trips;
• how parents can file a complaint and get your inspection history.

One item is easy to miss: your policies must tell parents whether you carry liability insurance. If you don’t, each parent must acknowledge that in writing, and the signed notice goes in the child’s record ⁠².

Parents sign that they received your policies at enrollment and whenever the policies change ⁠². Post your license, emergency numbers, evacuation route and the weekly menu ⁠². With the application, DFS’s CCL-105B checklist asks for ⁠⁹:

• a policy or parent handbook;
• an emergency preparedness plan;
• the attendance, child record, infant feeding and diapering, and staff record forms you plan to use;
• a sample menu;
• a list of owners (and board members, if any).

Sample versions of most of these, including a “Sample Policy Statement for Home Child Care,” are linked from the CCL-105B checklist ⁠⁹.

Applying, in order

1. Confirm the classification

   Make sure your home qualifies as an FCCH: it is your primary residence and you will care for no more than 10 children. Call DFS Licensing Support at 307-777-3540 (Monday to Friday, 8 to 5) or your area’s licenser ⁠⁹⁠¹².

2. Start the slow items first

   Order the fingerprint cards and five-year registry checks for every adult in the house. Begin STARS pre-service training, including in-person CPR. Background check results and pre-service training documentation are due with the application or within 30 days of it ⁠¹⁠⁹.

3. Get local approvals

   Arrange the fire inspection and the sanitation inspection with the inspector for your area. Get zoning approval or a business license where your city or county requires one. Test your well water if you have one ⁠¹⁠⁹.

4. File the CCL-100 and fee

   An application counts as filed only once DFS has a signed, dated and fully completed form. Anything not sent with it must arrive within 30 days. If it doesn’t, DFS denies the application ⁠¹⁠⁹.

5. The licensing inspection

   Within 30 days of filing, your licenser holds a scheduled inspection. The licenser then issues a one-year license, a provisional license or a denial ⁠¹.

A provisional license lasts up to six months. DFS may issue one if you can’t yet meet every rule but are making a good-faith effort, or while it monitors a corrective action plan. DFS can attach conditions, such as lower ratios or a smaller capacity ⁠¹. If you can’t meet a particular rule, you can ask for a written variance. The request must explain why, how you will protect children and how you will tell parents. Approved variances end when the license expires ⁠¹.

The license covers only the address, owner and facility named on it. You can’t transfer it. It becomes void if you close, move or sell ⁠¹. If you move, you file a new application ⁠¹.

Fees as published

Chapter 2, Section 9 sets a $25 licensing fee at application and a $25 renewal fee, as published on 2026-10-12 ⁠¹. The CCL-105B checklist (02/26) also lists $25, payable to DFS by check or money order ⁠⁹. The older CCL-100 application form (03/24) still says “$50 check or money order made payable to Department of Family Services” ⁠¹⁰. The rule is the controlling text and both April 2026 and February 2026 DFS documents say $25, but DFS has not said whether it has reissued the CCL-100. Before you mail a check, ask DFS Licensing Support (307-777-3540) which amount it is collecting.

The fingerprint processing payment (made out to the State of Wyoming) and your local agency’s fingerprinting fee are separate costs ⁠¹¹.

Inspections, renewal and corrective action plans

Every licensed facility gets at least one announced and one unannounced DFS inspection each year. Fire, food safety and health/sanitation inspections happen separately every year, and local ordinances can add more ⁠¹. Renewal requires a renewal request, the $25 fee, and a DFS review of your program documents and your licensing, fire and health inspection reports ⁠¹.

When an inspector cites a violation, you have 10 days to submit a corrective action plan. Correction dates can be no more than 30 days out, and serious hazards may have to be fixed immediately. DFS reviews the plan within 10 days ⁠¹. Tell licensing in writing as soon as you know of a change in your facility name, capacity, room use, structure, contact details or household members, or a planned closure ⁠¹.

Child care assistance and ECARES

Wyoming runs child care assistance through ECARES, DFS’s online system. Parents use it to check eligibility for assistance and to search for providers ⁠¹⁴. To be paid for children on assistance, DFS’s toolkit lists two documents: the Registration Form for Licensed Child Care Providers (form 203a) and an IRS W-9 ⁠¹³. The application checklist includes these under “items needed to receive subsidy payments,” so you can file them with your license application ⁠⁹.

What changed in 2026

DFS published updated child care licensing rules in April 2026 ⁠⁶. The rules now cover all three classifications through Chapters 1 to 3 and 8 to 11, and Chapters 4 to 7 are marked repealed ⁠⁶⁠². The rules page does not summarize what changed, so read the April 2026 chapters themselves rather than older copies of the rules. DFS’s application checklist was revised in February 2026 (CCL-105B, 02/26) ⁠⁹. The CCL-100 form still dates from March 2024, which explains the conflicting fee figures ⁠¹⁰.

A program for 16 or more children, or one in a non-residential building, is licensed as a child care center instead ⁠². See the Wyoming child care center license.

Sources

1. 1
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Child Care Licensing Rules, Chapter 2: Licensing Process (updated April 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Child Care Licensing Rules, Chapter 11: Health and Safety Requirements for All Facility Types (updated April 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Child Care Licensing Rules, Chapter 9: Fire Standards for Family Child Care Home, Residential Classification Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Child Care Licensing Rules, Chapter 1: General Provisions Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Child Care Licensing Rules, Chapter 8: Food Safety Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Licensing Rules Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Who Needs to be Licensed? Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Wyoming State Legislature, Wyoming Statutes Title 14, Chapter 4 (W.S. 14-4-101 through 14-4-117) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Wyoming Department of Family Services, Application for Child Care Certification Guide (CCL-105B, 02/26) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    Wyoming Department of Family Services, Application for Child Care Certification (CCL-100, 03/24) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    Wyoming Department of Family Services, Background Check FAQs Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
12. 12
    Wyoming Department of Family Services, New Provider Child Care Digital Toolkit Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
13. 13
    Wyoming Department of Family Services, Items Related to Subsidy Payments Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
14. 14
    Wyoming Department of Family Services, ECARES for Child Care Access Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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