Department of Family Services outlines child‑care funding, licensing and child‑protection caseloads

Summary

Agency officials told lawmakers federal childcare block grant funding, eligibility rules and provider licensing are central to early-care support; social‑services leaders also summarized child‑protection caseloads, out‑of‑home placement counts, reunification and the fiscal share devoted to foster care.

Department of Family Services officials briefed the joint committees on the state’s early‑care programs, licensing oversight and child‑protective services, emphasizing that federal grant rules and state matching requirements shape program choices and budgets.

Roxanne O'Connor, support‑services senior administrator, said Wyoming receives a Child Care and Development Block Grant of about $16 million and must provide a state match; "If we don't meet that maintenance of effort, we will not receive the $16,000,000 in block grant," she told the committee. O'Connor said that more than 70 percent of the block grant is used for childcare assistance for income‑eligible families; the program supports working parents and accepts providers across the state. She described a “mixed delivery system” of…

Department of Family Services outlines child‑care funding, licensing and child‑protection caseloads

Summary

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