For Immediate Release: Friday, May 7, 2021
DSS Media Contact: Steve Long, steve.long@state.sd.us or 605.773.5465
Child care providers honored for service
PIERRE – Child care providers in South Dakota are being honored by the Department of Social Services (DSS) for the work they do to help support families.
Today is National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day and DSS thanks those who have stepped up to care for children while their parents work or attend school. The work of child care providers is a key component in the success of South Dakota’s economy.
“Caring for and nurturing the early development of South Dakota’s children is an important task,” said DSS Cabinet Secretary Laurie Gill. “We have an incredible network of professionals who not only help the children in their care but their families and our state’s economy as a whole. Child care providers make it possible for parents to work and successfully fuel our state’s economic engine.”
DSS licenses and registers family day care homes, group family day care homes, day care centers, and before and after school care programs. Child Care Assistance is also available to families who meet income guidelines and minimum work and/or school requirements.
“Our child care workers are often unsung heroes who make a huge impact on our children,” Gill said. “Their interactions boost the language, emotional, and learning skills children need for a lifetime.”
For more information about child care resources, please visit dss.sd.gov/childcare.
