FEBRUARY 21, 2024:
The implementation phase of South Dakota’s Community Based Child Care Grant program is open and will provide funding for communities to implement innovative, strategic and detailed plans that address their individual child care challenges.
Governor’s Office of Economic Development Commissioner Chris Schilken says quality child care is important for successful workforce retention and recruitment. He says this funding will advance ongoing efforts to care for and grow South Dakota communities by bridging that gap.
This phase has a total of $1.87 million available. Applicants that were awarded a planning grant will be automatically considered for an implementation grant contingent on the quality of the plans they produced in the planning phase. Each grant awardee will be eligible for up to an additional $500,000 to achieve the plan they developed, though the maximum award may be greater dependent on the number of applicants.
The application deadline for this phase is Feb. 29, 2024, at 5pm CT.
Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff says his department is confident that these additional resources will inspire new, sustainable and safe solutions for child care challenges in South Dakota. He says any child care facility that is impacted by this community based grant must be state-licensed or must have applied for and are working towards licensure.
Communities that have already created and developed a community plan but were not awarded funding from the planning phase of the program are eligible to apply for this phase. The amount awarded will be based on the needs identified in their plans.
The emphasis of this grant program is to provide funds for community-based child care solutions. Entities that collaborate to address this solution may include, but are not limited to:
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Local economic development organizations (preferred applicant);
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Community coalitions, collaboratives, groups;
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Public or private partnerships;
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Local governments;
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Businesses;
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School districts;
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Non-profit organizations;
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For-profit organizations; and,
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Existing child care providers.
Preferences will be given to proposals that:
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Seek to find solutions to child care workforce challenges;
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Impact communities identified as child care deserts (those with limited or no options for high quality child care);
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Seek to increase the accessibility to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers;
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Support an employer-sponsored program or child care partnership, to expand the number of child care slots (availability) in a community or accessibility (the times when child care might be available); and,
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Seek to improve the child care landscape in their local community by addressing an ‘outside of the norm’ challenge.
In September 2023, GOED and the Department of Social Services announced the availability of $3 million in grant funding to expand child care opportunities throughout South Dakota communities. In November 2023, GOED announced that 28 planning grants, totaling $1.13 million, had been awarded.
NOVEMBER 21, 2023:
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development has allocated grant funds for South Dakota’s Investment Plan for Child Care. Among the recipients in the central part of the state are entities from Burke, Highmore, Miller, Mobridge, Murdo, Pierre and Platte.
Twenty-eight planning grants totaling $1.13 million have been awarded. The funds will be used to expand child care opportunities across South Dakota through innovative strategies and detailed plans.
GOED Commissioner Chris Schilken says applicant ideas included creating career pathways to improving child care workforce, creating coalitions and partnerships, offsetting costs and creating a business accelerator for potential owners of child care centers. He says so many communities have reached out about the lack of child care and this program will begin to help improve the situation.
Recipients awarded:
- Burke – Burke Business Promotion Corporation
- Highmore – City of Highmore
- Miller – On Hand Development Corporation
- Mobridge – Mobridge Economic Development Corporation
- Murdo – Murdo Economic Development Corporation
- Pierre – Pierre Economic Development Corporation
- Platte – Platte Development Corporation
- Aberdeen – Aberdeen Development Corporation
- Brookings – Boys and Girls Club of Brookings
- Clear Lake – Clear Lake Area Development
- Custer – Custer Area Economic Development Corporation
- DeSmet – DeSmet Development Corporation
- Flandreau – Boys and Girls Club of Moody County
- Freeman – Freeman Community Development Corporation
- Gayville – Gayville Volin School District
- Madison – Lake Area Improvement Corporation
- Milbank – Grant County Development Corporation
- Mission – Rosebud Economic Development Corporation
- Rapid City – Elevate Rapid City
- Rapid City – Kindred Spirits LLC
- Redfield – Grow Spink, Inc.
- Salem – Salem Economic Development Corporation
- Sioux Falls – Sioux Falls Development Foundation
- Spearfish – Spearfish Economic Development Corporation
- Tabor – Sacred Heart School
- Vermillion – Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company
- Watertown – Watertown Development Corporation
- Yankton – Yankton Thrive
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