Penny Brandt, Child Care HelpLine Coordinator, shared with us ways their organization is of help to care givers at our last Sioux Empire Child Care Network meeting. Besides their wonderful referral service, the Helpline provides support to parents and care givers in the community helping to foster working parent/provider relationships that benefit children.

One service that the HelpLine provides is child care rate information based on each zip code in Sioux Falls area. Because they are an organization other than a provider association or network, they can conduct a legal survey that provides child care rate information to providers. So, if you were just going into the family child care field or you wished to raise your rates and wanted to know what the minimum, average, or maximum rates are for your zip code area, you would just need to contact the HelpLine by dialing 211 and ask for that information.