State of Regulations for Child Care Centers in South Dakota Weakness
Strength
✗✗ Family child care providers can care for up to 12 unrelated
✔✔ Child care licensing inspectors have an average caseload of 33 programs.
children for pay without a license.
✗✗ Reports of routine inspections conducted at child care
✔✔ Child care licensing staff are required to have a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field.
programs and reports of those conducted because of complaints are not available online.
✔✔ Center staff are required to have orientation, fire safety and other health and safety training.
✗✗ Center directors are not required to have a college degree.
✔✔ Requires all center staff to undergo a background check that includes a check of state and federal criminal history records using fingerprints, and checks of child abuse and neglect registries. Sex offender registries are not explicitly included in the checks.
✗✗ Centers are not required to have a first-aid certified staff on
✗✗ Lead teachers in centers are not required to have a high school diploma or GED before working with children. the premises. A CPR certified staff is required.
✗✗ Health and safety standards address only seven of 10 basic standards (immunizations, guidance/discipline, diapering/ handwashing, fire drills, med administration, emerg preparedness and placing infant on back). Incident reporting, hazardous materials and playground surfaces under outdoor equipment are not addressed.
✔✔ Requires program activities to address five of six developmental domains (social, physical, language/literacy, cognitive/intellectual and emotional). Cultural, however, is not required to be addressed.
✗✗ Has requirements regarding parental visits to the center, but no requirements for communicating with parents or involving them.
✗✗ Meets NAEYC’s ratio requirements for only three of seven age
Recommendations
groups (27-months, and 4 and 5 years). Does not meet ratio requirements for 6, 9 and 18-month, and 3-year-olds.
✗✗ Meets NAEYC’s group size requirements for only two of seven age groups (4 and 5 years). Does not meet group size requirements for 6, 9, 18 and 27-month, and 3-year-olds.
■■ Increase the pre-service educational requirements for center directors. ■■ Establish educational requirements for lead/master teachers. ■■ Require at least one person be present in a center at all times who is certified in first-aid ■■ Decrease the group size limits for all age groups. ■■ Require centers to have impact-altering materials under playground equipment to prevent injuries when children fall. ■■ Make inspection and complaint reports available online for parents to review.
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