EARLY LEARNING

To ensure children thrive, we focus on improving access to high-quality early learning experiences. Though children learn in every environment, our funding primarily addresses child care access and affordability.

Our funding helps low-income families afford child care and preschool and helps child care providers support and retain high quality staff. We help support infrastructure for families, employers, and philanthropy to address the regional child care crisis.

Grantmaking Strategy

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Stabilize existing high quality early learning providers

Provide funding for family access and staff retention and recruitment at Starting Strong and Jump Start Providers 

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Expand access to high quality early learning programs for low-income families

Provide funding for capacity building for high quality child care providers and expand number of scholarships available to low income families

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Strengthen public/private investment in high quality early learning opportunities for low-income families

Pilot innovative solutions to funding child care through the JTVF Child Care Innovation Fund

Our Stories

Jump Start Grantee
Jump Starting Quality Child Care

Jump Starting Quality Child Care

We are ready to shout it from the rooftops: the YMCA of Rapid City is our latest Early Learning grantee! This $700,000 two-year grant will support the Jump Start Program in Rapid City.About Jump Start Jump Start provides quality early-learning and affordable child...

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Current Grantees

Value of early learning grants as of March 2025

Black Hills Area Community Foundation

Donor-advised fund to pilot innovative child care solutions

$475,000

Black Hills Special Services Cooperative

One year support for literacy tutoring for grades K-2 at two Title I elementary schools

$25,000

Early Childhood Connections

Two-year support for Starting Strong Program, a scholarship program for preschool education of 3 and 4 year olds from low income families

$1,875,000

early childhood connections

Support to Starting Strong providers to help with staffing and preschool expenses

$444,000

Northern Hills Alliance for Children

One-year operating support for quality child care in the Northern Black Hills

$50,000

south dakota humanities council

Purchase books for the Young Reader One Program, serving 3rd grade students across the Black Hills

$10,000

SDPB Early Learning Intiative

Two-year support for the South Dakota Public Broadcasting Early Learning Intiative

$90,000

United Way of the Black Hills

Support for Black Hills Reads Program

$362,000

YMCA of Rapid City

Two-year support for Jump Start program

$700,000

List of All JTVF grantees by Year

Collaborations

JTVF Child Care Innovation Fund

Housed at the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, the JTVF Child Care Innovation Fund will be used to pilot a program where local businesses, philanthropy, and employees themselves equally share the costs of child care. It’s a bold step towards addressing a growing concern in the modern workforce—child care affordability. The Tri-Share Program aims to make child care affordable and accessible for working parents, help employers retain and attract employees, and support child care providers’ sustainability.

Our role: Founder

Early Learner Rapid City

Early Learner Rapid City is an effort under the ELSD umbrella with a vision that all children have access to high quality early learning experiences and environments to create a solid foundation for lifelong success. Early Learner communities, such as Rapid City, engage their community stakeholders to improve early learning in their community. Rapid City is using the Early Learning Community Action Guide from the National League of Cities which helps communities take action to become an Early Learning Community.

Our role: Our JTVF team is on the Advisory Team.

GO TO SITE

Early Learner South Dakota

Early Learner South Dakota (ELSD) is a community-driven, grass roots effort, led by the South Dakota Association for the Education of Young Children (SDAEYC) bringing awareness and support to the importance of how access to a variety of early learning environments impacts our community’s future. ELSD advocates for child care providers and acts as their voice at the state policy and legislative levels. Additionally, ELSD provides guidance and support to communities wishing to become a designated early learning community, a community where young children are a top priority. Thirdly, ELSD acts as a connector for organizations that serve adults who affect children’s lives- parents, caregivers, and educators.

Our role: Our JTVF team is on the statewide leadership and advocacy committees for ELSD.

GO TO SITE

South Dakota Childcare Task Force

The South Dakota Childcare Task Force is made up of 24 South Dakota lawmakers, business leaders, parents and early childhood professionals. Led by South Dakota state senator Tim Reed, the group plans to tackle what government can do to better support quality access to child care across the state.

Our role: OUr JTVF team is on the Task Force.

list of all jtvf collaborations

Learn more about the grant application process.

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