SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Child care challenges affect people all across KELOLAND.

“Obviously, there is a crisis, an opportunity related around the child care issue in our state,” said Jeff Hayward with Startup Sioux Falls.

Some upcoming learning opportunities could help more people get into the child care business.

Startup Sioux Falls is hosting business trainings this year geared toward future or current child care providers.

“It’s a social work type of industry. Many day care providers think of themselves as educators, not business people, and so there is that initial focus of wanting to do right by the kids, but unless they’re able to operate the business in a profitable way, they’re not going to be able to do that in a longterm setting,” Hayward said.

SD CEO East Women’s Business Center is partnering with Startup Sioux Falls to put on the trainings.

“So they’re going to learn about what it is to be a business, how to properly start one, how to properly execute one, what it means to be successful. They’re also going to learn a lot of the nitty-gritty information about how to get licensing,” said Angie Iverson with SD CEO East Women’s Business Center.

While the deadline to sign up for a weekend childcare bootcamp is closed, an interest form for the a 10-week program later this year is open.

“It’s not just as easy as standing up a bunch of day care centers. We really need to provide the business training and access to experts and advisors and mentors who know this industry and can really support this next generation of day care providers,” Hayward said.

Support from The Bancorp and grant money from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development are making the trainings free.

To find out more ways the grant money is being used, click here.