Childcare Collaborative Report to the Community Event Set for June 26

On Monday, June 26, the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative will host a Report to the Community event to present their recommendations and blueprint for action for fighting the childcare crisis in Sioux Falls.

In October 2022, the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative identified the need for a community-wide initiative focused on finding solutions to help ease the current childcare crisis. With the urging of Mayor Paul TenHaken, two coordinators were hired to lead a six-month-long initiative with financial support from the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Sioux Empire United Way, Sioux Falls Development Foundation, and Forward Sioux Falls. The coordinators were charged with researching and recommending potential solutions, with consideration of supportive local and state policies, community-level business involvement, and funding opportunities to support and sustain childcare businesses and improve workforce development. 

Childcare Initiative Coordinators Rana DeBoer and Nicole Fluth

The initiative coordinators, Nicole Fluth and Rana DeBoer, and working group members met on a regular basis between October 2022 and May 2023. The coordinators actively engaged with business leaders, Early Childhood Education support organizations, community partnerships/organizations, state agency partners, childcare providers, and others connected to the childcare system. An extensive review of literature was completed to further understand the systemic challenges of the childcare industry and to identify multi-sector solutions that are being implemented in other communities.

Presenters include: 

For more information, contact Michelle Erpenbach, President, Sioux Falls Thrive, at (605) 274-2780 or merpenbach@siouxfallsthrive.org.

Thank you to these organizations who made this work possible: