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Wyoming’s daycare rules skip liability insurance and go straight to the coverage the state itself sells: the licensing rules require centers with employees to carry workers’ compensation — and in Wyoming that coverage comes from the state fund, run by the Department of Workforce Services. General liability is the operator’s call; the employment coverage is not.
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What Wyoming Actually Requires
| Coverage | Wyoming requirement |
|---|---|
| Liability insurance | No licensing mandate — the DFS child care rules impose no general-liability requirement |
| Workers’ compensation | Required by the licensing rules for centers with employees — and sold only through Wyoming’s state fund (DWS) |
| What fills the gap | Small-market vendor trust: Wyoming’s commercial child care runs on word-of-mouth, subsidy agreements and landlords’ COI asks |
The Licence Points at the State Fund
Wyoming’s child care rules do something unusual: they write the workers’-comp requirement into the daycare licence itself, so a center with staff opens its DWS account as part of licensing rather than as separate compliance. Since Wyoming is monopolistic, there’s no shopping to do — the state fund is the seller, and a private workers’-comp policy isn’t valid here.
On the liability side the rules are silent, and the smallest state’s market does the enforcing: in towns where every parent knows every provider, the uninsured operation’s first claim tends to be its last enrollment season.
The Coverages Every Daycare Carries Regardless
- General liability with abuse & molestation coverage. The playground injury and the allegation are different claims; a daycare policy without A&M cover is missing the exposure the business is actually judged on.
- Commercial auto if you transport children — a personal policy excludes business use.
- Workers’ compensation once you employ staff — in Wyoming, required by the licensing rules and sold only by the state fund.
- Property and contents for the build-out, equipment and food stock.
Parents ask if you’re insured. So do licensors.
A certificate of insurance answers both in one page. Quotes are free and don’t require a phone call.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is liability insurance required for a Wyoming daycare?
No — the Department of Family Services child care licensing rules impose no general-liability requirement. They do require centers with employees to carry workers’ compensation, which in Wyoming comes only from the state fund.
Can a Wyoming daycare buy workers’ comp from a private insurer?
No — Wyoming is a monopolistic workers’-compensation state. Coverage comes through the Department of Workforce Services’ state fund, and the child care licensing rules make carrying it a condition for centers with employees.
Comparing states? See daycare insurance requirements in every state, or the full guide to starting a daycare in Wyoming.
Sources
| Source | What it confirms |
|---|---|
| Wyoming DFS — child care licensing rules | The licensing rule set incl. the WC requirement for centers with employees |
| Wyoming DWS | The monopolistic state fund |
