How to Become a Foster Parent in Wyoming

Wyoming has one of the lowest ratios of licensed foster homes to children in need of any state in the country — a reality that has left children in counties like Sublette with zero local placements, forcing kids to be sent hours away from their families and schools. If you've been thinking about fostering, the need is real and the bar to entry is achievable. Here is exactly what the process looks like.

Who Can Apply

The Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) sets the baseline eligibility requirements. You must be at least 21 years old. Beyond that, the state is intentionally broad: single adults, married couples, and same-sex couples are all eligible. You do not need to own your home, though your housing must meet the Chapter 12 physical standards covered below.

Financial stability matters, but not in the way most people expect. DFS does not require a specific income level. What they do require is proof that your current household income is sufficient to cover your existing expenses without the foster care maintenance payment. The stipend is intended for the child's care — not to subsidize the household. You'll document this through federal tax returns, pay stubs, and a review of monthly expenditures during the home study.

The Licensing Steps

The full path from initial inquiry to a licensed foster home typically takes three to six months in Wyoming. Rural districts often run longer due to caseworker travel time and infrequent training cohorts.

Step 1: Contact your DFS district office. Wyoming administers foster care at the state level but delivers it through district offices in Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette, Sheridan, Laramie, Rock Springs, Jackson, Riverton, Lander, and Worland. Your first call should be to the office covering your county to ask about the next available PRIDE pre-service training cohort. Do not wait — in many rural districts, cohorts run only two or three times per year, and missing one can push your licensing back by an entire season.

Step 2: Submit your application. DFS will provide the formal application packet, including the autobiographical statement that asks about your upbringing, parenting philosophy, and motivation for fostering. This is not a pass/fail form — it is the foundation for your home study interviews.

Step 3: Complete background checks. All adult household members must clear a multi-layer screening process. This includes a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) check, an FBI fingerprint-based check, a search of the DFS Central Registry for substantiated abuse/neglect reports, the National Sex Offender Registry, and out-of-state checks if you have lived elsewhere within the last five years. The DCI process alone can take 31–60 days, so start it early.

Step 4: Complete the PRIDE training. Wyoming uses the Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE) curriculum — a 30-hour pre-service program delivered over approximately six sessions. The curriculum covers attachment and trauma, separation and loss, trauma-informed discipline, birth family relationships, and working as part of the professional DFS team. Training is available through in-person cohorts at district offices, virtual instructor-led sessions via Zoom, and occasional intensive weekend formats in central locations like Riverton or Casper. After licensing, you'll need to complete 18–24 hours of annual in-service training to maintain your certification.

Step 5: Pass your home study. A DFS caseworker will conduct a room-by-room safety inspection, review all submitted documents, and complete at least three interviews — individual sessions for each adult applicant and a joint session with all household members. Five positive references are required: three must be non-relatives who have known you for at least two years.

Step 6: Receive your license. Wyoming foster home licenses are typically valid for two years. Renewal requires updated background checks and a new home inspection.

What DFS Is Actually Looking For

The Chapter 12 regulations specify minimum bedroom sizes of 75 square feet for the first occupant and 50 square feet for each additional child. No more than four children may share a bedroom, and children of opposite sexes over approximately age five may not share a room. Basements without proper egress, hallways, and kitchens cannot be used as sleeping areas.

Every adult household member over 18 must complete a physical exam verifying they are capable of caring for children, including a mandatory TB test. Pets must be current on all veterinarian-recommended vaccinations, with records on file.

Rural properties — the majority in Wyoming — have additional requirements. Private well water must be tested for safety. Septic systems must be functional and appropriately sized. Livestock enclosures, outbuildings, fuel storage, and farm machinery must be secured or inaccessible to children. These are not obstacles unique to Wyoming, but they are ones that generic national guides routinely omit.

The PRIDE Gap: The Biggest Timing Risk

The single most common reason Wyoming applicants wait longer than expected is missing a PRIDE cohort. In some rural districts, there may be only two opportunities per year. The solution is simple: call your district office first, before you do anything else, and get your name on the waitlist. Everything else in the process — the background checks, the paperwork, the home study prep — can happen in parallel while you wait.

If you want a complete roadmap that walks through each step in sequence, including the DCI fingerprinting process, the rural property inspection checklist, and how ICWA affects placements involving children from the Wind River Reservation, the Wyoming Foster Care Licensing Guide covers all of it in one place.

After Licensing: What to Expect

Most foster families in Wyoming find that their relationship with their DFS caseworker is closer and more collaborative than in large urban states — the small-state environment means caseworkers often know families personally. That said, caseloads are heavy and caseworkers spend significant time in court. Being a well-prepared, self-sufficient applicant makes you the family that workers are eager to call.

Wyoming foster parents have the right to be notified of all court hearings regarding children in their care, to receive complete information about the child's medical and educational history, and to provide testimony to the court. Foster parents also participate in Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), which are convened within 10 days of a petition being filed and include the child's parents, a school representative, a DFS caseworker, and the child's Guardian Ad Litem.

The state currently licenses both regular foster homes (for children with standard needs) and therapeutic foster homes for children with significant emotional, behavioral, or medical challenges. Therapeutic homes receive additional training and a higher maintenance rate.

Children who come into care in Wyoming are enrolled in Wyoming Medicaid automatically, covering dental, vision, and mental health services. Child care subsidies are available for working foster parents. For older youth aging out of care, Education and Training Vouchers help cover college or vocational training costs — in the 2024–2025 cycle, approximately $84,706 was paid to colleges and universities for this purpose.

Wyoming needs foster families in every district. The process is manageable, the requirements are clear, and the need is immediate.

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