State of South Dakota's Child 2004 continued: out of home care for infants.

South Dakota leads the nation in its percent of women in the workforce who have children under the age of six. Nationally, 64% of women with children this young are employed and this is the case for 78% of women in the state. Further, 60% of South Dakota's infants live in homes where either their single mother is employed or both their parents are employed outside of their home. Nearly half of all the state's infants and children under six receive nonparental care during their parents' working hours. The significance of this reality is profound as young children's experiences, during early formative periods of life, affect their current and future development. The dimensions of quality care for infants are described as well as the economic and policy dynamics that affect its delivery in South Dakota.