South Dakota program
Help with child care costs (Child Care Assistance)
South Dakota can help pay for child care when a parent meets its work or training and income rules.
What it is
South Dakota can help pay for child care when a parent meets its work or training and income rules.
Child care for other children can become difficult during hospital stays. A new application needs an approved activity such as work or training. An existing case may have protection during a temporary absence to care for a family member.
Eligibility rules
- DSS uses adjusted income and its current household-size table. The ordinary entry screen is 209% of poverty, but the 85% state-median-income ceiling can be lower for some family sizes; special categories and renewal rules can differ.
- A parent must have an approved activity such as work or training.
- A new case usually needs about 80 hours a month of work or training for each parent. If you lose a job, help can continue for up to 90 days while you look for work.
- The adjusted monthly table effective March 1, 2026 lists $3,769 for two people, $4,758 for three, $5,748 for four and $6,737 for five. The separate state-median-income ceiling and category rules still apply.
What you get
- Help with eligible child care costs.
- Protection for an existing case during a qualifying time-limited absence.
What the help includes
- Help is for children under 13, or older with a documented disability. If you already have a case, a temporary absence from work to care for your child does not close it and does not need to be reported; a permanent change must be reported within 10 days.
- Families at or below 170% of poverty pay nothing. Above that, you pay 5% of your monthly income toward the care, and a provider that charges more than the state rate can bill you the difference.
If you decide to apply
- If you want help or already have a case, ask Economic Assistance about Child Care Assistance through BEES or by phone.
- Have your work or training schedule, child care details and income records ready. Ask how temporary leave differs from a permanent work change; a qualifying temporary absence is not a required report.
South Dakota Department of Social Services: 877-999-5612 · Official page ↗
After you ask
- For an existing case, a qualifying temporary absence is not a required report and certification remains in place. The social worker can help distinguish temporary leave from a permanent work or school change, which generally has a 10-day reporting deadline.
Good to know
A parent who has stopped work to be at the bedside cannot start this new. A family already getting it keeps it through a time-limited absence.
Other details
- Child care’s adjusted-income calculation differs from the health-coverage calculation even where the percentage looks similar.
“Could child care help fit our work situation, or protect an existing case while we care for our child? What are the benefits and drawbacks, and could you help us with the request?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand how to keep reliable care for the other children during treatment.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Keep an existing case open and report the absence rather than letting it close.
Your social worker
The hospital social worker can file it with the rest.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- South Dakota Department of Social Services
- Ask the agency
- “I have had to step away from work to be at the hospital with my child. Please treat this as a time-limited absence and keep our child care case open.”
How to apply
First step: Tell the office about the absence before the case closes.
- If you already have a case, tell the office about the time-limited absence rather than letting the case close.
- If you are applying new, ask what counts as an approved activity while a child is in hospital.
- If you get child care help, mention it when you apply for food help.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: eaportal.sd.gov or 877-999-5612
What to gather
- Proof of work or training
- This month's income
- Your child care provider's details
How long: No promptness standard was published.
What a yes looks like
Payments to the provider and a co-payment for you.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Ask whether it was income or the activity test, and ask what would count as an activity while your child is in treatment.
Watch out
- Being at a hospital bedside is not published as a qualifying activity for a new application.
- Do not let an existing case close; report the absence instead.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
Child care help up to $5,748 a month of adjusted income for four people.
- $5,748/month — Adjusted monthly income ceiling, household of 4 (209% of poverty), effective March 1, 2026
- $4,758/month — Adjusted monthly income ceiling, household of 3
- $3,769/month — Adjusted monthly income ceiling, household of 2
- $6,737/month — Adjusted monthly income ceiling, household of 5
Covers: Payment toward registered child care
Legal protection: An existing certification is protected through a time-limited absence from work to care for a family member or because of illness
What it costs the family: The manual reviewed September 21, 2026 sets no copayment at or below 170% of poverty and for listed exempt groups. Above 170%, the monthly copayment is 5% of countable monthly income, rounded down and allocated weekly under the manual; charges above the covered rate may remain.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Income
- Ordinary entry: adjusted income within 209% of poverty and the 85% state-median-income ceiling; special categories and renewal rules can differ.
- Activity
- the parent must be in an approved activity such as work or training; an existing case is protected through a time-limited absence
Decisions this site cannot make: Department of Social Services child care eligibility decision
Expect friction on: The parent has to be in an approved activity such as work or training; being at a hospital bedside is not published as one
The trap: Keep an existing case open rather than letting it close and reapplying. The manual protects a time-limited absence from work for reasons such as caring for a family member; a closed case has to start again.
Where I read this
- Am I Eligible for Child Care Assistance — South Dakota Department of Social Services, read September 10, 2026
- BEES Child Care Assistance policy manual — South Dakota Department of Social Services, read September 10, 2026
- SNAP policy manual — South Dakota Department of Social Services, read September 10, 2026