Wyo. Code R. 053-0022-2
Effective Date: 09/26/2025 to Current
Rule Type: Current Rules & Regulations
Reference Number: 053.0022.2.09262025
Section 1. Authority. The Department of Workforce Services (DWS) is authorized under the DWS Act W.S. § 9-2-2601(c), W.S. § 9-2-2602(b)(vi), W.S. § 14-4-204, and the Wyoming Administrative Procedures Act, W.S. §16-3-101 et seq. to promulgate rules and regulations to be used by the DWS in the discharge of its functions.
Section 2. Purpose. The WY Quality Counts Educational Development Program provides funding for training of owners and staff of child care facilities through the use of College Degree Scholarships to encourage individuals working in the child care industry to enroll in and complete formal education that will enhance the quality of child care provided by the industry.
(a) The WY Quality Counts Educational Development Program’s College Degree Scholarships shall only be used for the following coursework related to remedial education, early childhood certificates, associate degrees, bachelor degrees and post-graduate endorsements, to include:
(i) Associates of Arts/Sciences/Applied Sciences in Early Childhood Education from a Wyoming community college;
(ii) Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with Birth-to-Eight Early Childhood Endorsement from the University of Wyoming;
(iii) Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science/Child Development Concentration from the University of Wyoming;
(iv) Degree/endorsements from other states comparable in educational requirements to the above from an accredited institution as defined by the Wyoming Department of Education;
(v) Early Childhood Special Education (Birth to Five) Certificate Program from the University of Wyoming;
(vi) Post-Graduate Birth-to-Eight Early Childhood Endorsement from the University of Wyoming;
(vii) Remedial education; or
(viii) Other education that has received written pre-approval by the WY Quality Counts program manager.
(a) Scholarship funds shall only be used for costs associated with the following:
(i) Books;
(ii) Required fees; or
(iii) Tuition.
(b) Scholarship funds shall be paid directly to the educational institution.
(a) An eligible applicant shall be:
(i) An owner or staff member working for a minimum of fifteen (15) hours per week in a child care facility as defined in W.S. § 14-4-101(a)(vi)(D) or (K); and
(ii) In good standing with the WY Quality Counts Educational Development Program.
(a) Applicants shall complete and submit the official DWS College Degree Scholarship form for each semester in which the applicant is requesting funding.
(b) Applications shall be submitted at least forty-five (45) days prior and not more than one hundred and ten (110) days prior to the scheduled start date of the semester.
(c) Applicants shall include proof of approval of the coursework by the scholarship applicant's academic advisor.
(a) Once an application has been approved by the WY Quality Counts program manager, the applicant shall adhere to the following requirements of the scholarship:
(i) Enter into a written agreement as set forth by DWS for each semester funds are being requested for the duration of the program;
(ii) Provide proof of enrollment no later than forty-five (45) days after the start date of each semester;
(iii) Sign an agreement to the repayment and mandatory employment requirements in accordance with Section 8. Repayment and Mandatory Employment Requirements;
(iv) Maintain continuous enrollment during the duration of the program;
(v) Maintain a '2.0' or higher-grade point average;
(vi) Provide proof of grades and good standing with the educational institution no later than forty-five (45) days from the time the information is available at the end of each semester;
(vii) Complete and submit a DWS-recognized training survey form no later than forty-five (45) days after completion of each semester’s coursework; and
(viii) Remain in good standing with both the formal educational institution and the WY Quality Counts Educational Development Program.
(a) The participant shall agree to work for or contract with a child care facility for a mandatory employment period after receiving the certificate, endorsement or degree from the approved formal education program. The requirements are as follows for each type of program:
(i) For an Early Childhood Certificate, the participant shall complete seven hundred-fifty (750) hours of employment within twelve (12) months after receiving the certificate from the approved formal education program.
(ii) For an Associate Degree, the participant shall complete one thousand (1,000) hours of employment within eighteen (18) months after receiving the degree from the approved formal education program;
(iii) For a Bachelor’s Degree, the participant shall complete two thousand (2,000) hours of employment within twenty-four (24) months after receiving the degree from the approved formal education program; or
(iv) For a Post-Graduate Endorsement, the participant shall complete seven hundred-fifty (750) hours of employment within twelve (12) months after receiving the degree from the approved formal education program.
(b) The mandatory employment period shall begin:
(i) The month immediately after receiving the certificate, degree or endorsement from the approved formal education program; or
(ii) If the child care facility is closed during the summer, the first day the child care facility reopens in the fall.
(c) If the participant is laid off due to lack of work, the scholarship participant shall obtain employment with another child care facility and complete any remaining mandatory employment period hours.
(a) The scholarship participant shall be terminated from the scholarship program if the participant fails to adhere to the following requirements:
(i) Maintain continuous enrollment;
(ii) Remain in good standing with the formal educational institution and the WY Quality Counts Educational Development Program;
(iii) Meet the grade level requirements;
(iv) Provide verification documents on time; or
(v) Meet the mandatory employment requirements.
(b) Any scholarship participant who is terminated from the scholarship program is required to repay the portion of funds that were paid to the educational institution on their behalf to the DWS, to include costs incurred in the collection, unless a Waiver of Repayment has been approved by the WY Quality Counts program manager.
(i) A Waiver of Repayment may be approved if the scholarship participant submits a request, in writing, to the WY Quality Counts program manager that outlines one of the following reasons the scholarship participant was unable to adhere to the requirements:
(A) Experienced a major medical occurrence;
(B) Activated for military service or has a spouse activated for or relocated in military service;
(C) Deceased, in which case a representative for the scholarship participant may submit the written request; or
(D) Encounters an emergency or hardship, involving themselves or an immediate family member that reasonably precludes the ability to complete the approved coursework.
(c) Repayments due to DWS shall be made, or a repayment agreement shall be signed, within thirty (30) days of the date the notice of termination was sent from the WY Quality Counts program manager to the scholarship participant.
(i) The WY Quality Counts program manager shall send the notice of termination via electronic copy to the participant's email address on file, if available, and via physical copy to the participant's mailing address provided on the application.
(d) Failure to repay scholarship funds or sign a repayment agreement within the thirty (30) days of the notice of termination, the WY Quality Counts program manager shall refer the case to a collection agency for appropriate legal action and place the individual on the list for individuals that are not in good standing with the WY Quality Counts Educational Development Program.
(a) The scholarship participant is eligible for up to one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per semester.
(b) The participant shall only receive assistance for a maximum of one hundred fifty (150) credit hours in a lifetime.