Lawmakers are hearing ideas for fixing Wyoming’s ailing child care system

Over the past thirteen years, the number of licensed child care providers in Wyoming has rapidly declined from nearly 855 to just 570. Now lawmakers are looking for solutions.

Micah Richardson of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation told lawmakers on the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee that the closure of so many child care centers is a problem for the workforce: Caregivers are not being replaced when they retire, or they are experiencing burnout without enough wages, and close up shop.

One option Richardson supports is creating a statewide replacement pool. She said this isn’t a perfect solution, as some providers are reluctant to let strangers care for their students, but she said: “I think a lot of us are saying, ‘Yes, but we’re willing to give our kids a bad day if it means you get a break and you can get some respite.’ Your children have to adapt, right?”

Another option is something called a tri-care share.

“Basically it’s three entities investing to make child care more affordable,” Richardson said. “The company invests, the state invests and the parents also pay part.”

Richardson said other states have successfully established a child care fund for such a program using a state income tax. But since Wyoming doesn’t have one, she proposes using sales tax funds instead.

Richardson also warned lawmakers against too much deregulation, saying it could make childcare less safe by putting too many children in the care of untrained teachers.

“I don’t think all parents want to send their kids somewhere where there are no rules, and I don’t necessarily think all providers want it to just be open to however many kids there are,” Richardson said. “I feel like there needs to be a discussion that probably includes some funding to keep this sustainable.”

The committee will continue its discussion on tri-care shares and a replacement pool at their August 29-30 meeting.

Lawmakers will also consider other solutions during next year’s legislative session. The committee recently voted in favor of a bill that would allow nannies to care for up to five families, instead of just two.