SOUTH DAKOTA – Children’s Home Society of South Dakota (CHS) has earned accreditation from the Council of Accreditation (COA) following months of intensive preparation.

In February 2026, the organization transitioned from Joint Commission accreditation to COA. According to leadership, this move was intended to better align the accreditation with the full scope of services provided to families across the state, including those in the Rapid City area.

“Achieving COA accreditation reflects the strength of our programs and the dedication of our staff,” said President and CEO Michelle Lavallee. “It reaffirms our commitment to providing high-quality, trauma-informed care for every child, adult and family we serve”.

COA is an independent nonprofit that evaluates human service organizations against rigorous standards of best practice. The process at CHS was led by Compliance Director Hope Perini and involved detailed documentation, operational evaluations, and on-site reviews by peer experts.

Perini noted that the accreditation is particularly meaningful because it reviews how programs, ranging from early childhood services and foster care to residential treatment and adoption, work together.

The evaluation team included volunteers who manage Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility programs in other states. Freddy Maseman, Vice President of Psychiatric Residential Treatment at CHS, said the evaluators understood the specific standards and challenges the staff faces daily.

Reviewers highlighted several strengths within the organization, calling the domestic violence shelter “the most beautiful” they had seen and describing the outpatient mental health program as “new but mighty” in filling community gaps. They also praised the agency’s trauma-informed approach and commitment to treating clients with dignity and respect.

Established in 1893, CHS was the first nonprofit human services organization in South Dakota. While it served as the primary orphanage and adoption agency for 70 years, it has since expanded to offer emergency shelter, crisis intervention, forensic interviews, and nurse home visitation.

The COA accreditation will guide the organization’s quality improvement and program expansion efforts over the next four years.