Child Care Subsidies & Assistance in Wyoming
Wyoming's Child Care Subsidy operates without a formal waitlist; supply scarcity (especially rural and infant/toddler) is the binding constraint. Apply via the ECARES portal launched August 2025. No state pre-K and no state Child & Dependent Care Credit (no state income tax).
Data current as of May 21, 2026
Child care subsidy (CCDF) in Wyoming
- Program name
- Wyoming Child Care Subsidy Program
- Administered by
- Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS)
- Income ceiling
- Family income eligibility set on a state financial-criteria chart (versions effective April 1 each year). Continued eligibility extends to the federal 85% State Median Income ceiling. Approximately 1,500 children under age 5 receive CCDBG-subsidized care — about 19% of those federally eligible.
- Family fee / copay
- Sliding-scale family share based on income, family size, and authorized hours. Providers may bill families the difference between the DFS maximum reimbursement and the provider's private-pay rate, but cannot charge subsidized families more than non-subsidized families.
- Waitlist status
- No typical waitlist — Wyoming has not maintained a CCDF waitlist. Provider supply scarcity (especially infant/toddler care and rural counties) is the binding constraint on access, not subsidy capacity. Tribal nations on the Wind River Reservation (Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho) operate separate tribal CCDF programs.
State pre-K in Wyoming
Wyoming does not currently operate a state-funded pre-K program. Eligible families may still qualify for Head Start or Early Head Start.
State tax credits & extras in Wyoming
- State CDCC
- Wyoming does not offer a state Child and Dependent Care Credit. Wyoming has no state personal income tax. The federal CDCC (claimed on IRS Form 2441) is the only income-tax-based child care credit Wyoming families can use.
Where to apply or get help in Wyoming
- Find a licensed daycare in WyomingChildery directory — quality ratings, ZIP & city search
- Wyoming child care portaldfs.wyo.gov/services/family-services/child-care/
- Eligibility screenerdfs.wyo.gov/providers/dfs-ecares/
- Wyoming 211 (dial 2-1-1)www.wyo211.org/
- Wyoming Child Care Subsidy — DFSdfs.wyo.gov/services/family-services/child-care/
- Wyoming Quality Counts (in development; not yet producing public ratings)wyqualitycounts.org/
- Federal childcare.gov — Wyoming resourceswww.childcare.gov/state-resources/wyoming/financial-assistance-resources-for-families
Find a daycare in Wyoming
Once you know what you qualify for, Childery's directory helps you pick a provider. Browse Wyoming's licensed daycares with independent Process and Structural quality ratings, or search by ZIP code or city.
Browse Wyoming daycaresSources
Every state layers its own program on top of a federal floor — CCDF (the federal block grant), Head Start, the federal DCFSA (employer pre-tax benefit), and the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit. See the federal overview for what the floor looks like before any state adds.