Community Based Child Care Grant Program

People enjoying a riverside park in South Dakota.

Child Care Grants Awarded

In 2024, the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the South Dakota Department of Social Services worked jointly to provide a two-phase funding opportunity for communities to help with solutions to South Dakota child care challenges. The emphasis of this grant program was to provide funds for innovative community-based child care solutions. Many of the projects aimed to expand sustainable, reliable, quality child care services and provide career pathways to improve the workforce. Through an application process, GOED awarded a total of $1.1M to 28 communities for the planning portion and another $3.8M to 13 communities for the implementation portion of the program.

 

*(This program is now closed. This was a one-time funding opportunity through GOED. For any child care funding questions please contact the SD Department of Social Services.)

McIntosh Child Care Center.

McIntosh

GOED’s Community-Based Implementation Grant has been instrumental in advancing the McIntosh Child Care Center’s ability to provide quality care and education. With the grant funds they were able to cover key expenses such as licensing fees and teacher training, ensuring the daycare meets state standards and enhances the skills of its staff. Physical upgrades including flooring, appliances, furniture, and playground equipment.

 

These investments have helped create a safe, functional, and enriching environment for children.

 

In addition to the GOED Implementation Grant, they leveraged this funding to win a $50K USDA Grant, further boosting their resources for expansion and improvement.

 

Other sources of funding have also played a critical role. The SD Community Foundation Grant supported ongoing development efforts. Through overwhelming monetary support from community members, they were able to secure a Governor’s Home for the center, providing a permanent, stable location for operations.

 

These combined efforts enabled the center to become state-licensed, and expand its capacity, increasing the number of child care slots available to support working families. Overall, these investments have significantly enhanced the center’s ability to serve the community and contribute to the well-being of families.

We are incredibly appreciative of this opportunity and the support from the GOED grant funding. It will allow us to offer local families childcare and early childhood education services that help their children learn and thrive, without diverting resources from our ABA therapy services for children with special learning needs in our community. Additionally, by adding these services to our existing offerings, we can provide opportunities for children participating in ABA therapy to integrate and be included in early childhood learning programs, helping them develop the social skills they need for school later on. We are very excited to be able to provide excellent quality childcare and early childhood education services for the wonderful community in Rapid City.

Nancy Pruit CEO Impact Learning & Development

Grants like the Community-Based Child Care Grant indirectly boost the local economy. Parents who have dependable child care can remain in or re-enter the workforce contributing to local businesses and overall economic growth. GOED’s grant helped ensure that small towns can offer the same critical services that larger communities enjoy. This levels the playing field and fosters sustainable development which strengthens our community’s future

Platte Development Corporation

The Implementation Grant funding has allowed us to pursue several solutions and bring together three community service providers to stretch the child care slots we have and create additional child care slots. Our organizations and stakeholders seek to meaningfully address the child care shortage in the Pierre/Fort Pierre community in the coming years, and we’re much better equipped to do so thanks to the support of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

Pierre/Ft. Pierre Development Corp.

B9Creations has recently been recognized as one of the Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies in the United States. Our relationship with the Governor’s office and GOED have been major enablers of our success this far. We are now raising capital and preparing to enter our next major growth phase, with customized additive manufacturing solutions fully in the spotlight following the global COVID disruption. As we take that next step, I’m thankful for South Dakota’s pro-business mindset and GOED’s ongoing partnership.

Shon Anderson CEO B9Creations B9Creations

AGP is excited to expand our business footprint into South Dakota. With significant growth in soybean production in the state during the past 10 years, we are confident in the availability of soybean origination for our value-added processing facility. In addition, the State of South Dakota, Brown County, and the City of Aberdeen have been committed to the success of this project by providing a quality workforce, as well as training and incentive programs. We also look forward to enhancing returns for South Dakota’s farmers and member cooperatives through improved soybean prices and increased dividends.

Keith Spackler CEO AGP

Planning Grant Recipients

Aberdeen Development Corporation
Brookings Boys & Girls Club
Clear Lake Area Development
Custer Area Economic Development Corporation
DeSmet Development Corporation
Boys & Girls Club of Moody County
Freeman Community Development Corporation
Gayville Volin School District
City of Highmore
Lake Area Improvement Corporation
Grant County Development Corporation
On Hand Development Corporation
Rosebud Economic Development Corporation
Mobridge Economic Development Corporation
Murdo Economic Development Corporation
Pierre Economic Development Corporation
Elevate Rapid City
Kindred Spirits, LLC
Grow Spink, Inc.
Salem Economic Development Corporation
Sioux Falls Development Foundation
Spearfish Economic Development Corporation
Tabor Sacred Heart School
Vermillion Area Chamber & Development Company
Watertown Development Corporation
Yankton Thrive