State library · checked October 2026

South Dakota child care, camp and ratio rules

What camps, after-school programs and child care centers in South Dakota need to know about licensing, ratios, background checks, medication and reporting abuse, with links to the official rules.

Child care licensing

DSS must license day care centers (21 or more children), group family day care homes (13 to 20 children) and before-and-after-school programs, regardless of funding source (SDCL 26-6-14). Family day care homes (12 or fewer children) register with DSS only if they are paid with public funds; others may register voluntarily (SDCL 26-6-14.1, 26-6-14.2).

After-school and recreation programs: Day care run by a school board for children of its enrolled students is exempt (SDCL 26-6-1.1). DSS says other before-and-after-school programs, including full-day care during school breaks, must be licensed whatever their location; the only exemption is a program offering educational or recreational activities where children come and go on their own.

Licensing agency: South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS), Office of Licensing and Accreditation – Child Care Licensing

Sources: ARSD 67:42:17 Child Care Licensing; SDCL 26-6-14 (license categories); SDCL 26-6-1.1 (school board exemption); DSS: Before & After School Programs fact sheet; DSS: Licensed Child Care Program fact sheet

Staff-to-child ratios in licensed centers

Ages	Children per staff member	Largest group
3 years	1:10	Not set
4 years	1:10	Not set
5 years	1:15	Not set
School-age	1:15	Not set

Rule: ARSD 67:42:17:21. Bands are under 3 years (1:5), 3 through 4 years (1:10), and 5 years and over (1:15), for both centers and school-age programs. There is no fixed maximum group size: group size is set by each room's approved capacity (ARSD 67:42:17:19). Programs with 20 or fewer children in a routine mixed-age group use 1:10; larger mixed groups use 1:5 if three or more children are under 3, otherwise the ratio for the age of most children (ARSD 67:42:17:22).

Work out your staffing with the ratio calculator

Summer camps

No South Dakota youth camp licensing law was found. The Department of Health licenses campgrounds for the traveling public (ARSD 44:02:14), which is not a camp program license. A summer program that regularly cares for and supervises children may need a DSS child care license; DSS says school-age programs need a license even when they run full days during school breaks.

Sources: ARSD 44:02:14 Campground regulation; DSS: Before & After School Programs fact sheet

Background checks

All child care providers and program employees 14 and older must meet federal background check requirements, repeated at least every 5 years (ARSD 67:42:17:13). In-state checks: South Dakota criminal records (fingerprints), state sex offender registry, the DSS child abuse and neglect central registry, NCIC, and an FBI fingerprint check; out-of-state criminal, sex offender and child abuse registry checks are required for each state lived in during the past 5 years. DSS pays the fees. No camp-specific requirement was found.

Sources: DSS: Child Care Provider Background Screening; ARSD 67:42:17:13

Giving medication

Before any medication is given, the parent's permission must be documented with the child's name, medication, dates, times and dosage. The parent supplies it in the original labeled container (prescription labels must show the child's name, dose and frequency, expiration date, prescriber and storage instructions); each dose is recorded with dose, time, date and who gave it, records are kept 6 months, medicines are stored out of children's reach, and unused or expired medicine goes back to the parent (ARSD 67:42:17:27–28).

Free medication administration log

Sources: ARSD 67:42:17:27 and :28

Reporting child abuse

Listed professionals must report, including teachers, school counselors and officials, coaches of school activities, licensed or registered child welfare providers, employees and volunteers of child advocacy organizations or child welfare service providers, health professionals and law enforcement (SDCL 26-8A-3); the child care rules also require child care providers to report immediately (ARSD 67:42:17:47). Reports must be made orally and immediately to DSS, law enforcement or the county state's attorney (SDCL 26-8A-8); intentionally failing to report is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

South Dakota child abuse hotline: 1-877-244-0864 (DSS Child Protection Services intake, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays; after hours, call local law enforcement) (how to report). In an emergency, call 911.

Sources: SDCL 26-8A-3 (who must report); SDCL 26-8A-8 (how to report); DSS Child Care Services (reporting number); ARSD 67:42:17:47 (child care providers must report immediately)

Checked October 2026 against South Dakota's official rules and federal sources. Rules change and have exceptions, so confirm with the agency before you rely on them. This is general information, not legal advice. South Dakota has 635 youth and community program nonprofits, according to our analysis of IRS data.

FAQ

South Dakota questions

What is the staff-to-child ratio for school-age children in South Dakota?

In licensed child care centers, 1 staff member for every 15 school-age children (ARSD 67:42:17:21). Camps and license-exempt programs can follow different rules.

Do summer camps need a license in South Dakota?

Do after-school programs need a child care license in South Dakota?

Day care run by a school board for children of its enrolled students is exempt (SDCL 26-6-1.1). DSS says other before-and-after-school programs, including full-day care during school breaks, must be licensed whatever their location; the only exemption is a program offering educational or recreational activities where children come and go on their own.

Who has to report suspected child abuse in South Dakota?