Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of South Dakota announced Tuesday via press release that the organization will no longer provide childcare services to infants/toddlers and preschool-aged children due to “financial sustainability challenges.”
The last day for this decade-long program will be Friday, Aug. 16. School-aged afterschool and summer programs will continue as usual in Sioux Falls, which includes Southern Hills, Hilltop and Here4Youth.
LSS President and CEO Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen stated this was a “difficult decision” to make and acknowledged the impact on South Dakota families, as well as employees, especially during a childcare crisis.
More: Four Sioux Falls childcare centers shutting down early next year
“Despite our efforts to balance operational costs with affordable service rates for families, we find ourselves unable to sustain these programs financially,” she said.
Kiesow-Knudsen said temporary federal government assistance helped LSS offer these services to parents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the ongoing childcsre crisis in the state. These funds have now been depleted, forcing LSS to “reassess” the organization’s capacity to continue services.
According to previous Argus Leader reporting, Kiesow-Knudsen stated the childcare crisis didn’t start with the pandemic, but the pandemic did ratchet up the intensity of the crisis.
LSS has been contacting other childcare providers in the area to help both families and employees find alternative care and employment. Childcare providers are also encouraged to contact LSS if any openings are available.
“Providing families with a transition period is important to us, and we are committed to supporting them during this time,” said Kiesow-Knudsen.
More: Lack of child care options forces South Dakota families to make tough decisions
The press release said although “LSS has provided advocacy on the escalating crisis in childcare and participated in local and statewide initiatives addressing the issue, long-term, sustainable solutions have not developed.”
Earlier this year, an implementation grant of more than $284,000 from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development’s Community-Based Childcare Grant Program was given to Startup Sioux Falls and LSS to help develop new daycare options in the area, according to a May article from The Dakota Scout.
“The LSS portion of this project has the capacity to support 40 to 50 multi-lingual entrepreneurs in opening registered and licensed family daycares,” said Laura Smith-Hill, an LSS education services supervisor, according to KELOLAND News reporting in May.
More: Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative shares in-depth look at childcare crisis, possible solutions
In March 2022, LSS was one of many non-profit leaders in Sioux Falls who participated in a screening and discussion panel for the 2021 documentary “Starting at Zero.”
“I almost was in tears a few times this morning just thinking about how far behind we are as a state, and the resources that we put into that early childhood education,” Kiesow-Knudsen said in the March 2022 Argus Leader article.
She also said the affordability of childcare is a huge issue for families, and the costs are only increasing as childcare staff wages remain low and staff have left the industry in the last five to six years. The majority of childcare providers do have space for more children, but they need more staff to keep up with student-to-staff ratios.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lutheran Social Services of SD ends early childcare services
Source Agencies
