New Americans trained to open family-based child care businesses

This paid piece is sponsored by LSS.

After months of in-depth training, 29 refugee and immigrant women in Sioux Falls now possess the skills, knowledge and certifications to open their own family-based child care businesses.

The LSS Center for New Americans partnered with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Startup Sioux Falls, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Sanford CHILD Services and a wide range of community partners to equip the women through a 22-week training course that included child care provider orientation, CPR and first-aid training and certification, and a business accelerator certificate program.

Participants had the opportunity to meet other child care providers, hear from guest speakers and build connections within the field. Each graduate will receive more than $2,000 in startup funding to help them establish their businesses.

The effort was made possible through a community-based child care grant awarded to several communities to help expand child care solutions throughout South Dakota. However, Sioux Falls was the only community to use its funding not only to broaden access to quality child care but also to provide unique business opportunities for refugees and immigrants.

“This project was responsive to an expressed need and interest of the communities that we serve,” said Laura Smith-Hill, associate director with the LSS Center for New Americans. “So we’ve been equipped through all of our partnerships to really support, strengthen and inspire confidence in these women and even provide startup funding to help make their American dreams come true.”

In the early stages of the project, Smith-Hill and other partners held a series of informational sessions and focus groups to better understand and address the community’s most vital needs. One of the most common challenges that surfaced during these sessions was the struggle for diverse families to afford child care.

“Child care is a community-based effort in the countries where these women originate from. For several cultures we work with, multigenerational living — where the elders in the family provide child care for the kids — is the norm.”

In Sioux Falls, it’s common for both parents to work full time to meet their family’s basic needs. But even with both parents working, many immigrant and refugee families still struggle to squeeze child care into their budgets. As a result, parents alternate shifts between working and watching children — one parent works in the morning, the other in the evening. In these situations, couples rarely have time to spend together. Now, through opportunities afforded by the community-based child care grant, these families can be strengthened by adopting a more flexible work-life balance.

“The women who would prefer to stay home with their kids and run their own businesses can now be equipped to open a family-based day care,” Smith-Hill emphasized. “These families have struggled with the rates, so having more family-based day care openings will have multiple benefits for them and for the whole community.”

Most of the women involved in the project have years of experience providing child care to their households, and several have worked in child care centers in the United States. Twenty-five providers aim to open family day cares. Four providers already have plans to open their own centers, with one specializing in serving children with disabilities.

Another provider, originally from Iraq, has owned and operated her own family day care practice for more than 20 years. She enrolled in the course to grow her business skills and help mentor some of the other women.

“One hundred percent of that provider’s clientele are families that were born in the United States,” Smith-Hill said. “So they have a beautiful opportunity to learn from this incredible woman from Iraq with multiple languages under her belt and cultural experiences that are really rich.”

The program graduates represent 10 countries and include a mix of in-person and hybrid learners. A couple of women even completed the program despite having to travel back to their home countries, and two other participants lost loved ones overseas during the course.

“We saw such dedication, motivation and commitment from these women,” Smith-Hill said. “One of the women in the group from Congo has nine children of her own. She’s a busy woman; she runs an African store, she raises her kids, and her spouse works full time.”

While the project required significant time and effort from several community partners, the graduates of the course have expressed immense gratitude and a strong desire to give back. Having been invested in and supported themselves, these women are driven now to serve their community with compassion and integrity.

“They’ve come from all over the world and are an incredible resource to our communities,” Smith-Hill said. “So they’re here to help our families and our community as we’ve helped them.”

Our vision is to ensure that all people in South Dakota are healthy, safe and accepted. At the heart of this vision are community partnerships dedicated to strengthening families. With the dedication of staff, passion of volunteers and support from our donors and community, the LSS Center for New Americans can guide new Americans to becoming not only self-sufficient but also successful, contributing members of their communities. LSS offers a variety of services to refugees and immigrants, including case management, orientation classes, job development, English language training, education services and immigration services.

You can be part of our mission to care for, support and strengthen families. To access our services, make a donation or get involved through volunteering at the LSS Center for New Americans, contact us at 605-731-2000 or visit our website.

Thank you to the LSS project partners:

• Sioux Falls Thrive/Childcare Collaborative
• City of Sioux Falls
• Sioux Falls Development Foundation
• Sage Project Consultants LLC
• Governor’s Office of Economic Development
• Department of Labor and Regulation, Adult Education and Literacy Program
• Startup Sioux Falls
• Sanford CHILD Services
• Helpline Center
• SD CEO East
• Guest speakers from the child care ecosystem and Little Tykes University
• English language instructors and CO.STARTERS facilitators Mirela Besic-Zdioniza and Rihoko Colwill