Lawmakers hoping to improve access to child care

Early child care and education is “pretty fragmented” in Wyoming and is encompassed in some way by four state departments — Department of Family Services and the Departments of Workforce Services, Education and Health — Support Services Senior Administrator for Department of Family Services Roxanne O’Connor told the committee Monday.

“As we all know, Wyoming being the least populated state has serious issues across the board from providers to adequate facilities for daycares from labor shortages,” Chair Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, said during the meeting.

According to data provided by DFS during the meeting, the number of child care providers in Wyoming decreased by about 3% every year from 2010 to 2023; there were 855 providers in 2010 and 570 in 2023.

While there are fewer providers in the state, the licensed capacities in facilities have increased.

Despite the capacity increases, O’Connor said many facilities may not have enough staff members to serve the number of children they are licensed to host.

“Really, we’re seeing this problem as a workforce problem. We’re seeing a lot of home providers that retire and then there’s just not a pipeline to backfill from a home provider perspective,” O’Connor said.

The state’s child care situation has improved over the last few years, but there is still room to continue improving.

Wyoming is estimated to have a child care gap of 27.6% — which represents an 8% decrease since 2020 and is lower than the national figure of 31.7%. The Bipartisan Policy Center defines child care gaps as the difference between the potential need for child care compared to the supply of child care for children younger than six.

In an effort to make child care more accessible, DFS has already implemented several priorities and initiatives. The agency has increased Child Care Assistance Program payments and adjusted practices to more closely align with private pay so providers know how much money they’ll receive and when they’ll receive it. General technical assistance has also been made available to child care providers and DFS has begun reviewing the state’s child care licensing rules.

O’Connor said child care assistance is associated with a 16% decrease in the odds of a neglect report and a 14% decrease in the odds of a physical abuse report. Challenges associated with finding child care was also a stronger predictor of maternal neglect than many other factors, including substance abuse and mental health.

Wyoming is no exception to a shortage of child care availability across the nation.

Legislative Service Office staff member Clayton Caldwell said strategies used in other states to incentivize child care services include benefits and compensation for child care staff, creating state and employer agreements to share costs of child care incurred by eligible employees and changing zoning and land use statutes to support child care providers operating out of their homes.

Due to concerns raised during public comment, Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, requested LSO draft legislation to expand the number of households a nanny can serve from two to five, which could help address child care shortages in areas with difficult access.

No other bills are being drafted at this time.

This story was published on May 1, 2024.