The geography of the 12,243 square mile area served by the agency ranges from rolling farmland to prairie grasslands and river hills and low lands adjacent to the Missouri, James and White Rivers. It is this diversity that supports the basis of the local economy. The Program serves a sixteen county area located in South Central South Dakota specifically the counties of Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, McCook, Gregory, Lyman, Sanborn, Tripp, and Yankton.
We offer three service delivery options focused on school readiness – a center-based program, a home-based program and combination of some center-based time and home-based time.
The following defined Federally recognized Tribes are also located within these same 16 counties and offer Head Start services as well: Lower Brule; Crow Creek; Rosebud and Yankton. The proposed service area in those counties without clearly identified State & Federal boundaries of tribal jurisdiction would be to provide Head Start services to interested eligible families living in or near those jurisdictions who seek enrollment without regard to tribal affiliation (Charles Mix County). However, in those counties with State or Federal recognized tribal jurisdictions with clearly identified boundaries the program’s service area would be limited to those lands outside of the recognized tribal reservation boundary and jurisdiction. (Buffalo, Tripp and Lyman counties). This would not preclude the Tribal Programs from serving families who are outside of but near the identified reservations who are enrolled members of that tribe. Ref: CFR45 1305.3 (a), (b).
There are four tribal jurisdictions located within the identified service area of the Head Start program:
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe – Lyman County
- Crow Creek Sioux Tribe – Buffalo County
- Rosebud Sioux Tribe – Tripp County
- Yankton Sioux Tribe – Charles Mix County