A state-funded effort to boost childcare services across Wyoming has closed after receiving nearly 100 applications, signaling strong demand for support among new and expanding childcare providers, Sheridan Media reports.
The Wyoming Childcare Provider Startup Grant program, launched in January 2025, distributed all available funds across two rounds of grantmaking.
Administered by the Wyoming Community Foundation, the program awarded a total of $183,450 to 25 in-home and center-based childcare providers across the state. Grants of up to $10,000 were available per applicant, with priority given to providers in designated “childcare deserts” – areas where access to licensed childcare options is limited. The goal was to increase the number of children served in these underserved regions.
The grant initiative emerged from research conducted by the Harvard Growth Lab and was part of a broader effort led by the Wyoming Interagency Working Group on Childcare to counter a decade-long decline in the number of licensed providers. According to the Wyoming Department of Family Services, the state had 721 licensed providers in 2014, a figure that dropped to 527 by the end of 2024.
Although the long-term impact of the grants remains to be seen, early signs suggest progress. In Thermopolis, Broadway Childcare provider Cassandra Norskog used her grant to expand capacity from seven to ten children, with plans to grow further.
“The grant has been so helpful in providing supplies that I otherwise wasn’t able to afford,” said Norskog. “It has been life changing in a positive way – not just for my business – but for the families I am able to serve.”
Beyond financial assistance, recipients also gained access to business development support through partners like the Wyoming Women’s Business Center and the Wyoming Small Business Development Center. The University of Wyoming Early Childhood Outreach Network’s Professional Learning Collaborative also offered professional resources to grant recipients.
Micah Richardson, associate director of policy at the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, emphasized the broader value of the program.
“We believe this program can serve as a successful model and an important piece of the puzzle to address childcare needs that affect our neighbors and communities,” Richardson said.
She added that the initiative highlights the economic importance of childcare:
“Childcare isn’t just a family issue, it’s an economic one. A relatively small investment in childcare can yield a big return, strengthening Wyoming’s workforce and communities.”
