Child Care & Pre-K: Investing in South Dakota’s Families and Future

Child care and access to quality pre-K are issues I care deeply about. As a mother and grandmother, I know firsthand how important it is for families to have access to safe, affordable, quality care and early learning opportunities. Parents shouldn't have to choose between going to work and making sure their children are well cared for.

For too many South Dakota families, finding affordable, reliable child care is a daily challenge.

The cost is significant. South Dakota's own cost-of-care analysis estimates that full-time care at a child care center costs between $14,000 and $16,000 a year for infants and toddlers, and between $9,000 and $12,000 for preschool-aged children, depending on location.

For South Dakota’s working families, this can be simply unaffordable. In some communities, families struggle simply to find an available spot for their kids. This could mean they may have to reduce their hours, turn down a job, leave the workforce, or make other difficult choices.

This isn't just a family issue. It's an economic issue.

When parents can't work because they can't find or afford child care, employers also feel the impact. South Dakota businesses need workers, and families need the ability to work and provide for their children. A strong economy depends on both.

We also need to take a serious look at access to high-quality pre-K.

The early years of a child’s life are critical, and quality early learning can help children enter kindergarten ready to learn while giving parents the flexibility they need to work. I experienced this firsthand as the mother of a young child with a speech impediment. 

I was fortunate to have access to pre-K, where my son could receive speech therapy during the day while I continued working. His teachers also gave me exercises we could practice together at home, making me a partner in his progress. By the time he entered kindergarten, his speech issue had been resolved, and he was ready to learn, communicate, and succeed in the classroom.

For families who want it, access to affordable pre-K should not depend on their ZIP code or whether they can afford a private program.

As the current administration changes its approach to federal child care and early childhood programs, including proposed changes to Head Start, we need to keep the focus where it belongs: on children, parents, and the communities serving them.

Federal policy should give families and communities more options, not fewer, while making sure resources actually reach the people who need them.

At the same time, we should recognize the important role that existing child care providers, community organizations, and schools already play. Any approach to pre-K should give parents choices and strengthen, rather than undermine, the providers already serving South Dakota families.

As someone who believes that the government should be accountable to the people it serves, I believe the best solutions will come from listening to South Dakota families and communities, reducing unnecessary barriers, and making sure resources are used effectively.

Child care and pre-K aren't just investments in our children. They are investments in South Dakota's families and future workforce.