South Dakota faces a chronic shortage of childcare facilities. A new set of state standards has some providers concerned regulators will reduce requirements to increase capacity.
The Department of Social Services has been working with nonprofit organizations for six months to find solutions to the statewide childcare crisis. The agency has a new set of childcare standards out for public comment now.
Kayla Klein is the director of Early Learners South Dakota. She said her organization would like the state’s childcare laws to remain the same.
“In South Dakota, we have some of the most relaxed licensing regulations already. So Early Learners South Dakota would like to see the licensing regulations remain the same and not be relaxed any further,” said Klein.
The new proposals focus on a range of factors including how many children are in a facility – how they’re grouped – and the training for childcare workers. Klein said her organization wants to bring attention to the state’s proposals.
“We just do not believe that reducing regulations and requirements and increasing the number of children you can have in your home as being the right way to do that,” said Klein.
Klein does not oppose all of the new state standards. But she is concerned with some major changes.
One would increase the number of children a single provider can have in their home from 12 to 13.
Klein said her organization wants to bring attention to the proposals for the safety of children across the state.
“Our concern is not only the health and safety of the children but the quality of the attachments that they are going to be able to receive from their care providers,” said Klein.
Klein and her organization are also concerned for changes in mixed age group standards, a training hour reduction, and a revision that would allow childcare workers to be within hearing distance of sleeping children, not in their line of sight.
The Department of Social Services did not make anyone available for an interview. The agency has a public hearing on the proposed standards scheduled Friday, May 12 at 11 a.m. CT at the Department of Social Services Building, Prairie Conference Room, 811 East 10th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103.
Kayla Kline contracts with SDPB's early learning programs.
