About Us
Our Mission
We are South Dakota's statewide volunteer association of family child care providers and group home providers whose mission is to empower family child care professionals and achieve high quality care for all South Dakota children.
If you care for children in your home who are unrelated to you, you are a family child care provider. This is an association of people who are doing what you do, every day. We support new providers who are looking for ideas and offer avenues for experienced providers to share their tips and help pave the path to professionalism.
Our Story
FCCPSD sprang from the mentor program that was initiated by the previous state family child care provider association, South Dakota Family Child Care Providers Association, with the support of the SD Dept. of Child Care Services. The first training was held in the spring of 2003. Shortly after, that association disbanded. At a mentor meeting in the fall of that year, Jacque Johnson, program specialist for CCS, encouraged the mentors to build a new association. All of them were experienced child care professionals, they came from diverse backgrounds, they were leaders, and each area of the state had representation through them. That planted the seed of a vision that took some time to grow, and grow it did. Several mentors began to think of what a new state association would look like.
The association was officially launched February 25, 2005, at the SDAEYC/Headstart Conference held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.
The name was chosen from many submissions of those in attendance at the meeting. A time frame for our conferences was selected. An initial board of directors titled as Steering Committee were voted into office:
Dawn Wahl, FCCPSD Chair
Renae Boehmer, Chair-Elect
Debby Bullis, Secretary
Janet Hofer, Treasurer
JoAnne Geiser, Networking Chair
Lavonne Luellman, Adovcacy Chair
Lynette Lohan, Professional Development Chair