A short, honest guide to Wyoming daycare.
Wyoming has the smallest population of any state, which shapes the daycare market more than price alone. Licensed infant seats are scarce in nearly every community, and family child care homes and family child care centers do the heavy lifting outside of the Cheyenne and Casper metros. Jackson and Teton County sit in their own pricing tier because of resort-economy housing pressure. The state does not yet fund a universal Pre-K program, which leaves Head Start as the largest publicly funded preschool option, particularly on the Wind River Reservation and in rural counties.
Wyoming licensing
The Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS), Early Childhood Division, licenses and certifies child care centers, family child care homes (up to 10 children), family child care centers (up to 15 children), and school-age programs under W.S. Title 14 Chapter 4 and Wyoming Administrative Rules Chapter 1. Center ratios are 1:4 for infants under twelve months, 1:5 for ages one to two, 1:8 for ages two to three, 1:10 for ages three to four, and 1:12 for ages four to five. Family providers follow separate group-size rules. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked against the DFS Early Childhood Division licensing database monthly.
Source: Wyoming DFS Early Childhood Division licensing rules, Wyoming Administrative Rules Chapter 1; Child Care Aware of America 2025 Wyoming state report.
Head Start and preschool
Wyoming does not fund a universal state Pre-K program. Federal Head Start and Early Head Start fund free seats for income-eligible three- and four-year-olds statewide; meaningful coverage exists on the Wind River Indian Reservation (Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone), in Fremont County, and in rural communities across the state. Some school districts (notably Natrona County, Albany County, and Park County) operate locally funded preschool, and the Wyoming Community Foundation supports several quality early childhood initiatives. Read our NAEYC accreditation explainer for how to read program quality.
Financial help in Wyoming
The Wyoming Child Care Subsidy Program, administered through DFS using federal CCDF funding, subsidizes care for working families generally up to 195 percent of the federal poverty level at entry. Reimbursement rates are set against the state market rate survey. Head Start and Early Head Start fund additional free seats. The federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account through an employer can layer further savings. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math.
Where Wyoming parents tend to overpay
- Defaulting to a center in Cheyenne, Casper, or Gillette when a family child care center in the same town runs $150 to $300 less per month for comparable infant care.
- Paying private preschool tuition for a four-year-old without checking Head Start eligibility or local school district preschool offerings, which exist in several Wyoming counties.
- Skipping the Wyoming Child Care Subsidy application; the 195 percent FPL entry threshold reaches well into working-family income ranges, and DFS reimburses providers at competitive rates statewide.
Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list.
