Specifications include, but are not limited to:The Department of Social Services mission is: “Strengthening and supporting individuals and families by promoting cost effective and comprehensive services in connection with our partners that foster independent and healthy families.” To support this mission, the Division of Child Care seeks to improve the quality and increase the availability of child care in South Dakota. The Early Childhood Enrichment (ECE) system was developed to coordinate and provide early childhood and school-age training and technical assistance. Services offered are designed to assist caregivers, teachers and others involved in the day-to-day care of children as well as communities in the development of quality child care programs and services. Consumer education services for families on choosing and locating child care are also offered as needed. Successful offeror(s) will be responsive to caregivers, teachers, and others involved in the day-to-day care of children, as well as state and local partners. They will also be well positioned to work together with their neighboring ECE colleagues to ensure comparable services are consistently delivered statewide within the resources available. ECE’s are uniquely positioned to take an active role in responding to new initiatives designed to support families and early childhood professionals working with children and youth. The State is soliciting proposals from agencies that can demonstrate their organizational capacity to plan and deliver these services across a pre-determined service delivery area.
