Wyoming Business Council Opens Applications for Community Facility Rehabilitation Grant Program

he Wyoming Business Council (WBC) has opened applications for the Community Facility Rehabilitation (CFR) Grant Program, a subcomponent of the Community Facilities Program (CFP) which was appropriated by the Wyoming Legislature during the 2024 General Session. 

This program has an allocation of $2,800,000 to be expended as a grant(s) for cities and towns to complete the preservation of former school facilities as community centers, provided that the expenditure is for facilities that are included on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places or as a National Historic Landmark in a community with a population of less than 1,500.

Furthermore, applicants must be a city or town that has received funding or technical assistance from the WBC for the preservation of a former school facility as a community center before March 22, 2024. Applicants must also be prepared to give a presentation to WBC staff as part of the application process. 

Cities and towns can apply now at wbc.pub/CFR-Application. Applications will be accepted through June 15, 2024.

Good to Know

Resources

Child Care Services

Child Care Assistance

The Department of Family Services’ Child Care Subsidy Program uses a combination of state and federal funds to assist eligible families in paying for the cost of child care while the parent(s) is in an approved activity. Assistance rates vary and can be found here.

Contact your local DFS office, or you can find the application here. 

Child Care Licensing

Licensers around the state are here to help licensed facilities in providing quality care and maintaining safe environments for the children in attendance. They also assist and facilitate the opening of new child care locations for those who are interested in starting that process.

To find out who is your local licenser, please refer to this licensing map or contact the Licensing Support person at 307-777-3450.

New Resource for Caregivers Who Have Been Incarcerated

This new fact sheet from the HOPE National Resource Center offers practical strategies on how to access the Four Building Blocks of HOPE and positive childhood experiences for families impacted by incarceration.

Additional Links:

Natrona County Court Navigator Pilot Launches 

Adverse Childhood Experiences Capacity Assessment Tool Roadmap

Prioritizing Well-Being in the Public Health Workforce

State Policy Solutions to Reduce Child Maltreatment: A Summary of the Evidence

Leadership Video: The Power of Positive Leadership

Reports

Chapin Hall's New Policy Brief Calls for Expansion of Economic & Concrete Support Services for Families

Economic insecurity and material hardship are big drivers of child welfare system involvement, so it is important that we address families' economic and concrete needs early—before challenges become a crisis. Chapin Hall's new policy brief on flexible funds for concrete supports to families is the latest resource to support the movement toward a holistic child and family well-being system.

Additional Reports:

HUD Releases First-of-its-Kind Report to Congress on the Housing Needs of Survivors of Human Trafficking

Culturally Effective Organizations Framework & March Learning Call

New Studies Illuminate Why We Should Invest in New Parents

Events

Science and Innovation Speaker Series: Leveraging Neuroplasticity to Redirect Youth from Carceral Involvement 

Thursday, May 9, 2:30 - 1:30 PM PDT

ACEs Aware will be featuring Dr. Diana Fishbein, who will present on “Capitalizing on Neuroplasticity Across Development to Redirect Pathways from Juvenile Justice Involvement”. Dr. Fishbein will discuss insights on how to disrupt an adverse developmental pathway in young people that may lead to incarceration.

This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and other continuing education credit. Register here.

May 15, 1:00 PM ET: Frameworks Institute Webinar featuring Dr. Julie Sweetland: Reframing Childhood Adversity

Please register in advance to attend. Join the NGA Center for Best Practices for a webinar featuring Dr. Julie Sweetland a sociolinguist and Senior Advisor at the FrameWorks Institute. Dr. Sweetland will be talking with us about strategies to reframe childhood adversity and modify communication around adverse childhood experiences, trauma, substance use disorder, and prevention. Following registration, you will receive an email containing the zoom link for the webinar.

May 29, 1:00 PM ET Webinar featuring Dr. Diana Fishbein: Prevention Science and Addiction

Please register in advance to attend. Join the NGA Center for Best Practices for a webinar featuring Dr. Diana Fishbein of the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives. This webinar will focus on the linkage between trauma and addiction, and prevention science strategies to address this linkage. Following registration, you will receive an email containing the zoom link for the webinar.

June 20, 1:00 PM ET Webinar featuring Dr. Christina Bethell: Leveraging existing state programs and strengths to jump start sustainable trauma informed prevention strategies with the whole child, family and community in mind

Please register in advance to attend. Join the NGA Center for Best Practices for a webinar featuring Dr. Christina Bethell of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Bethell is a national leader in the development of policy, practice, and research applications of population health and systems performance measurement. Following registration, you will receive an email containing the zoom link for the webinar.