South Dakota
State changes child care subsidy policy to better support providers – South Dakota Searchlight
A program meant to help low-income families pay for child care changed this month to better support providers.
The change to the South Dakota Department of Social Services’ Child Care Assistance Program moved from an attendance-based policy to enrollment-based, which child care advocates say is welcome.
Department Secretary Matt Althoff said in a news release last month that the program is intended to serve “both families and providers in a way that can provide predictable payments that ease budgeting as well as the administrative burdens of program participation.”
The change took effect on Jan. 1.
The state’s child care subsidy programs have been under fire in recent years. Of the roughly 29,000 South Dakota children who qualify for subsidized child care, only 1,800 receive assistance — about 7%.
That low participation rate is compounded by the fact that child care providers often lose money when they accept state subsidies, Early Learner South Dakota Director Kayla Klein told South Dakota Searchlight last year.
“People tend to want paying parents and don’t want to deal with subsidies because there are so many flaws in the system,” Klein said at the time.
The previous assistance program policy reimbursed child care providers based on the hours a child was in child care, rather than for a full day. Many families don’t keep their children in day care for the entire time a provider is open.
If parents who are eligible for a subsidy picked up their child early, the provider wouldn’t get the full day’s amount, even though the spot was reserved for a full day.
“At the end of the day, the child spot still needs to be paid in full,” Klein said in a news release.
The switch to enrollment-based subsidies would cover the entire day, saving child care businesses money and allowing providers to better predict their bottom line, said Mike Bockorny, chair of the Economic Development Professionals Association, in a news release.
Child care advocates have cited a number of other policy and legislative changes that could boost South Dakota’s child care industry, including:
- Changing regulations that disqualify or discourage some low-income families — single parents, teen parents and homeless families — from the state subsidy program.
- Basing child care subsidy rates on true costs rather than market rates.
- Partnering with a national organization to analyze how the state is financially supporting the child care industry.
“This change is part of an ongoing effort to reduce barriers to Child Care Assistance participation,” Althoff said. “We will continue to look towards opportunities afforded through system modernization.”
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South Dakota
Republican businessman Toby Doeden advances to primary runoff in South Dakota governor’s race
Republican businessman Toby Doeden has advanced to a runoff in South Dakota governor’s race, NBC News projects.
Gov. Larry Rhoden, who replaced Kristi Noem last year when President Donald Trump nominated her to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was battling with Rep. Dusty Johnson and former state House Speaker Jon Hansen for a second spot in the July 28 runoff. The primary will go to a runoff because no candidate eclipsed 35% of the vote.
Trump did not issue an endorsement in the race. Doeden branded himself on his campaign website as “a total political outsider who’s tired of the government’s failure to deliver on its promises” and one of Trump’s “fiercest supporters.”
Rhoden, a former lieutenant governor, agriculture secretary and lawmaker, campaigned on property tax cuts and lowering crime in his bid for a four-year term.
Johnson is the state’s lone representative in the House, where he previously was chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus. Hansen, who was elected to the South Dakota House in 2010, held several leadership positions before he became speaker.
The Republican nominee will be the favorite to win the general election in the solidly red state this fall. A Democrat has not served as governor in South Dakota since the 1970s, and Trump carried the state by 29 points in 2024.
News
Agronomist: eastern South Dakota crops hit and miss
An agronomist in eastern South Dakota says corn and soybeans are hit and miss as the growing season begins.
Steven Zemlicka with AgTegra Cooperative tells Brownfield, “We’ve got corn anywhere from V1 all the way up to V4. Biggest stuff’s maybe touching V5. Corn’s coming right along, looks pretty good. A little bit of hail here too, but I don’t think it’s going to be much of an issue. Stands for the most part are pretty good, pretty solid.”
Zemlicka says soybean emergence has been slow due to the wet, cool conditions, and there are a few fields that still need planted.
“People were still working on planting soybeans when we got the recent rain.”
He says recent rain totals ranged from a half inch to as much as four inches in the northeast part of South Dakota; the southern part of the state has been drier.
South Dakota’s corn is rated 61 percent good to excellent, with soybean conditions rated 57 percent good to excellent, according to USDA’s first condition ratings of the season.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The South Dakota Community Foundation is encouraging nonprofits to apply for funding this June.
Beth Massa and Ginger Niemann joined us live with what you need to know before applying.
Watch the full interview above.
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