Governor Kristi Noem is making additional grants available to assist child care providers in the state who are registered with the South Dakota Department of Social Services.
This is a second round of funding being provided through $60 million in stabilization grants by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help support child care providers and families impacted by COVID-19. An initial $35.4 million was distributed to 676 child care providers this spring.
“Helping stabilize South Dakota child care providers strengthens our communities,” said DSS Cabinet Secretary Laurie Gill. “Child care is a vital part of keeping our economy strong, but more importantly access to quality providers is crucial for families.”
Grant applications are open until June 15th. They are available to child care providers who previous received funding as well as new applicants. Awards are based on the provider's average monthly expenses.
Providers who previously received grants will be awarded an additional two months of operating expenses up to a cap. First time recipients will receive five months of operating expenses up to a cap (do we know what these caps are? if not, maybe we should say the press release doesn't state it yet). The grant money must be used on operating expenses.
Additional information on the ARPA Child Care Stabilization Grants is available at dss.sd.gov.
