Considering a Career in Childcare?

from Pigeon605

A unique partnership between Southeast Technical College and the South Dakota Department of Social Services addresses the need for child care providers in the region with a new full-ride college scholarship.

The Early Childhood Workforce Support Scholarship covers 100 percent of tuition, fees, books, laptops and uniforms for STC’s early childhood specialist associate degree students. In return, scholarship recipients must commit to living and working in South Dakota in either child care or education for two years.

“Our partnership with Southeast Technical College reflects our belief in the value of higher education for future child care professionals,” said Secretary Laurie Gill of the Department of Social Services. “The Early Childhood Workforce Support Scholarship is a tangible way to move beyond talking about a strong, robust and well-educated child care workforce. It helps make that education possible, which helps build that strong workforce, which leads to high-quality child care.”

In South Dakota, like many parts of the United States, the demand for qualified child care professionals is high.

According to the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative, there are 73,000 children younger than 6 in South Dakota, and 74 percent of those children have all parents in the workforce. This translates to 54,020 children that need care, and that rate is significantly higher than the national average of 66 percent.

“Southeast Tech’s mission has always been workforce development,” President Bob Griggs said. “Having this scholarship available to our early childhood students is an asset for everyone. It removes financial stressors for students, allowing them to concentrate fully on their studies, which, in turn, will help fill a pipeline of much-needed, qualified child care workers.

Recipients of the scholarship echoed those sentiments.

Melanie Guevara, a first-year early childhood specialist student, said receiving the scholarship relieved financial stress.

“When choosing colleges, a big part of the decision was finances. I did not want to burden my parents with four years of college debt,” she said. “When I learned about the Early Childhood Workforce Opportunity Scholarship, I knew I needed to get it for my parents. I worked hard for the scholarship, and once I realized I had received it, it was the best feeling in the world. My parents and I had a weight lifted off our shoulders.”

In addition to the obvious financial benefits, students also are excited that the scholarship will help drive people to careers in their industry.

“This scholarship opportunity is amazing, and I’m happy students in my major had this chance. Our field is in need, and this scholarship will attract more students to the program,” said Aliyah Leedy, a first-year STC student.

Journey Dwire, another scholarship recipient, expressed a similar sentiment.

“I’m excited our program is getting the extra push it needs to have more people in our field. And I’m excited for others in my class because I know they will do great things with this opportunity.”

The next application period for the DSS Early Childhood Workforce Support Scholarship, for students beginning at STC in the fall of 2023, runs Jan.1 through March 31.

Explore the Early Childhood Workforce Support Scholarship

How Does it work?

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must:

• Apply to Southeast Technical College.
• Be accepted into the early childhood specialist program.
• Students of any age and from any state are eligible.
• Those who are awarded the scholarship commit to stay in South Dakota and work in child care or education for two years.
• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.