South Dakota
I wanted to stay here because I wanted to help here.
Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series of stories on children that Jackie Hendry, producer and host of SDPB’s “South Dakota Focus” is writing for South Dakota News Watch. Each month, she previews the upcoming show.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Thousands of South Dakota high schoolers are planning their first steps into adulthood this graduation season. Some may follow relatives into the family business of farming, law or teaching. Others, like Cordelia Rieck of Sioux Falls, plan to join the family business of raising families.
The number of day cares in South Dakota has almost halved since 2009, from 1,195 to 646 in 2020, according to the Kids Count Data Center. As conversations about the lack of child care access and affordability intensify across the state, the Rieck family is among the dozens of families in South Dakota that run in-home or family day cares. That journey began years before Cordelia was born.
After Karen Rieck and husband Justin moved to Sioux Falls, they went to see a movie. Karen had a few years of experience with child care at that time.
“Oddly enough, we had gone to see ‘Daddy Day Care’ in the theater,” said Karen. “And that’s what got my brain going. Like, ‘Really, you can do this. You can do child care out of your home. You don’t have to run a center.’”
A week later, the Riecks were creating a business plan. That was 21 years ago.
Today, Mrs. Karen’s House Childcare and Preschool is a state-registered family day care with capacity for a dozen children. When the “South Dakota Focus” team visited in April, the children’s ages ranged from 6 years to a pair of 5-month-old twins. Karen said the in-home setting emphasizes a feeling of family, which was attractive when she and her husband started the venture.
“Family in general is important to us, and we want to be able to instill that with the kids that we help raise,” she said.
In fact, a connection made through one of their clients helped the Riecks expand their own family. They’d previously been told having children would be difficult, if not impossible, based on some health complications. Then, in the early days of their child care operation, they watched the child of a pharmacy assistant.
“She’s the one who introduced me to a physician who was able to figure out what was wrong,” Karen remembered with a smile. “Needed some help, but I have four kids now.”
‘I’ve always had somebody to play with!’
Those kids have grown up alongside the kids who attend Mrs. Karen’s House Childcare and Preschool. The Reicks’ firstborn is Cordelia. She graduates from Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School this month.
“She was born into family child care,” said Karen. “We literally had her on a Thursday at 6:27 p.m. and our doors were open on Monday.”
“Well, I’ve never had a bad experience of going to somebody else’s day care,” Cordelia explained matter-of-factly. “I always had somebody to play with!”
Cordelia still plays and helps with the day care kids before and after school.
“I come back and all of them, they bombard me at the stairs. I don’t even make it up the stairs, and they’re just all over me. It’s great,” she said.
When it came time to decide what to do after high school, Cordelia knew one thing for sure: “I just wanted to help people. I didn’t care how.”
As a child, she’d considered being a doctor or veterinarian. Today, she shudders at the math and science involved.
“And I was like, ‘You know, I want to help people. I can help children.’ Because first of all, I love children and children usually love me because I am a child,” Cordelia joked.
Few early childhood degree options
South Dakota does not require child care providers to hold higher education credentials for licensing purposes. But research demonstrates a relationship between a child’s earliest years and their future learning outcomes, so many providers and parents want to see child care staff with some level of specialized education.
Are government subsidies the solution to the child care crisis? Lawmakers weigh options.
Legislative leaders agree that the ongoing child care crisis in South Dakota represents a significant workforce problem. Advocates are worried they lack a sense of urgency.
Some child care and preschool providers have begun requiring a one-year Child Development Associate as a minimum credential to lead a classroom, though there are more intensive options.
South Dakota State University in Brookings offers the only four-year degree specialization in early childhood education in the state. Northern State University in Aberdeen began offering a two-year associate degree in early childhood education last year, along with scholarships sponsored by the state Department of Social Services.
Ultimately, Cordelia decided on an early childhood specialist associate degree from Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls.
“I wanted to stay here because I wanted to help here,” she explained.
Cordelia acknowledges that none of her high school classmates are considering a career in child care.
“They go, ‘I’m not having kids, so why does that pertain to me?’” she said. “It’s really irritating sometimes because sometimes they’re really arrogant about it.”
Recent coverage of low wages for child care providers likely doesn’t help.
In 2021, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said child care workers earn in the bottom 2% of occupations in the nation. That has contributed to staff burnout, which perpetuates the lack of child care providers. A 2022 report from South Dakota’s Department of Social Services put the turnover rate of direct care staff at 88 percent. However, that same report shows the lowest turnover rate among group family day care providers, at 60 percent. It’s unclear the turnover rate for registered family day cares like the Riecks’.
Karen Rieck believes her daughter has seen both the challenges and the benefits of running a family day care.
“Having Justin and I both home all the time, she actually got to have us here,” she explained. “She had that friend group here that she grew up with. … I think she also sees on those days when it’s 30-below and we’re standing here with our hot cup of coffee and people are coming to us, and we didn’t have to go out in that. There’s perks to that.”
As excited as Karen is to have Cordelia follow in her footsteps, she’s also excited for her to blaze her own trail.
“To go from being someone who never thought I would have kids, to Cordelia … we thought we were losing her at 12 weeks,” Karen said through tears. “I’ve seen her grow up and just become an amazing person, and even when she turned 18, that was so hard for me. She doesn’t need her mommy anymore! Part of that moving into the child care world, she’s still gonna need me, but I want her to do her own thing and create who she is.”
In the meantime, Cordelia looks forward to high school graduation and the next steps – even if few of her peers are working toward the same goal.
“The average teenager does not care at all. It’s kind of sad because they don’t have any of the childlike experiences after their childhood. I get to experience them every single day,” she said.
South Dakota’s teacher shortage a matter of pay and pipeline While the Legislature works to address teacher pay, groups like Educators Rising tap current students to consider a future career in education
How to watch ‘South Dakota Focus’ on SDPB
The next episode of “South Dakota Focus” airs on Thursday, May 23, at 8 p.m. Central time / 7 p.m. Mountain time. It can be viewed on SDPB-TV 1, Facebook, YouTube and SD.net.
The episode includes:
- A Build Dakota scholarship winner graduating from the surgical tech program
- A youth center in Fort Thompson providing job and mentorship opportunities
- Stories from South Dakota high schoolers on what’s next after graduation
South Dakota
FCS Football Recruiting Roundup: South Dakota, Montana State Target 2027 Defensive Standouts
Welcome to another edition of the FCS Football Central Recruiting Roundup.
As spring practice winds down, recruits are still continuing to get on campus to visit schools and meet with their coaching staff. I caught up with some of the latest prospects who received an offer from an FCS program after their visit.
Amarie King | 2027 | DB | 5’7″ 140 lbs | Case High School | Racine, WI
King received his latest offer from South Dakota on April 17 after speaking with defensive coordinator Billy Kirch.
“Coach Kirch told me bout the offer, and that conversation went well. He told me a lot about the school, and asked me what my family and parents do. He said that my film was amazing and that he wanted to offer me,” King said.
“My recruitment is going well, although it is a little stressful here and there, but I am really just being patient and trusting the process, and keep working.”
He has visits to South Dakota and Drake coming up. Last season, he finished with 44 tackles, eight pass breakups, and six interceptions for the Eagles.
After a great conversation with coach kirch I’m blessed to I’ve received my first division 1 offer from @SDCoyotesFB @AntonGraham_ @MJ_NFLDraft @CoachBKirch @joshmanchigiah pic.twitter.com/jaxIYac67A
— Amarie King (@Amarieking27) April 17, 2026
Jayden Harris | 2027 | ATH | 6’2″ 170 lbs | Manteca High School | Manteca, CA
Harris picked up his latest offer from Montana State on Friday when he was in Bozeman for the Bobcats’ Junior Day, and meeting with cornerbacks coach Jordan Lee, defensive coordinator Bobby Daly, and head coach Brent Vigen.
“First, it was Coach Lee, then I had meetings with Coach Daly and Coach Vigen, who broke the news while we were talking. They want me to come in and play early. They like my versatility as a defensive back, and that’s why they offered me,” Harris said.
“The visit was cool! The snow was coming down, and the coaches still showed love. Recruiting is going well right now. Most schools that are in touch with me see something in me for sure, especially since I’m a zero-star athlete, so that’s love. I feel like I’m the best DB in California, and my measurements and production speak for themselves.”
He also has offers from Idaho, Washington State, and Sacramento State. He has upcoming visits to Arizona State and New Mexico.
Last season, he finished with 63 tackles, 11 pass breakups, nine interceptions, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two pick-sixes for the Buffaloes.
Blessed to receive an offer from Montana State University 🐾 @ballcoachLee @CoachBobbyDaly @CoachSauve @CoachSmith59 @bvigen @BrandonHuffman @Rivals_Recruits @GregBiggins pic.twitter.com/ofYdjJKcmK
— Jay Harris (@JaydenOHarris) April 18, 2026
Maurice “MJ” Harrell | 2026 | DB | 6’1″ 170 lbs | Hutchinson CC | Hutchinson, KS
Harrell picked up his first Division I offer from Houston Christian on April 17 after he spoke with cornerbacks coach DeMarcus Coleman.
“Coach Coleman called and told me he liked what we saw from the videos I sent him, and that he wanted me to be a part of his program,” Harrell said.
Last season, he finished with 20 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and a fumble recovery for the Blue Dragons. Mercyhurst, Division II UTPB, and Missouri Southern are some other schools he has been in contact with.
Blessed To Receive my first d1 offer from Houstan Christian University pic.twitter.com/OBD9ITQZHS
— MauriceHarrell (@M_Harrell19) April 18, 2026
Jadhari Young | 2026 | WR | 6’1″ 200 lbs | De Anza College | Cupertino, CA
Young received his latest offer from Eastern Illinois on April 15 after speaking with wide receivers coach Tino Smith.
“Coach Smith called me, and we had a long and great conversation. He told me he believes in me and that he thinks I can be great under his coaching,” Young said. “My recruitment has been going great since I graduated two weeks ago. A lot of coaches have expressed a lot of interest in me.”
Young also has offers from Sacramento State, Prairie View A&M, and Chicago State. Last season, he hauled in receptions for 559 yards and seven touchdowns for the Mountain Lions. He was named a Golden Coast Conference First Team selection.
He will be taking his official visit to Eastern Illinois on April 24. Gardner-Webb, West Florida, Monmouth, Stony Brook, and UMass are some other schools he is hearing from.
Blessed to receive my 5th D1 offer from Eastern Illinois University — Dhari Young “DEBO” (@dharigogetit) April 15, 2026
Thank you Coach @coachtinosmith for believing in me💯 pic.twitter.com/yMZjnsfRvK
AJ Moore | 2027 | RB | 5’9″ 200 lbs | College of Dupage | Glen Ellyn, IL
Moore received his first Division I offer from Lindenwood on April 17 after speaking with running backs coach Lane Lawson.
“Coach Lawson called and offered me. He just told me he’d be really excited to have me over and thinks I could be a part of something special with the program they got going over there,” Moore said.
Last season, he finished with 81 carries for 518 yards and five touchdowns, while adding nine receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns for the Chaparrals, who won their fifth consecutive NJCAA Division III national championship. Moore is working on scheduling his official visit to Lindenwood.
#AGTG After a great conversation with @CoachLawsonLU I am blessed to have my first division 1 offer from Lindenwood University @LindenwoodFB @Dupage_Football @JUCOFFrenzy @AllenTrieu @JordanWesty1 pic.twitter.com/DGLjZC4gIA
— AJ Moore (@ajmoore6_) April 17, 2026
Leshem Nyante | 2027 | OT | 6’5″ 265 lbs | Anna High School | Anna, TX
Nyante picked up his latest offer from Texas Rio Grande Valley on April 17 after he spoke with offensive line coach Jeff Bowen.
“Coach Bowen reached out this morning to officially extend the offer. It was a great talk, and he mentioned they really liked my film and how I would fit their system. So we are focused on building that relationship now,” Nyante said.
“I’m really grateful for how my recruiting process is unfolding so far. Things are definitely moving fast with spring ball right around the corner, and it’s been great seeing the increase in interest every week.”
He also has offers from Arkansas State, Division II Midwestern State, and East Central University. Old Dominion, Texas State, UTEP, and New Mexico are some other schools he is hearing from. Nyante will be taking an official visit to Arkansas State in June.
#AGTG After a great conversation with @CoachJeffBowen , I am blessed to receive a D1 offer from @UTRGVFootball !!@8_parr @Coach_Rigg @tylerdedwards33 @Sevier5 @jessedstew @AnnaCoyotesFB @CoachTBush @Perroni247 @SWiltfong_ @CKennedy247 pic.twitter.com/6o9H13baAb
— Leshem (Shem) Nyantee (@leshemnyantee10) April 17, 2026
Matthew Lashley | 2027 | DB | 6’1″ 198 lbs | Riverside City College | Riverside, CA
Lashley received his latest offer from East Texas A&M on April 15 after speaking with safeties coach Luke Jaicks.
“Coach Jaicks called and offered me. He’s a great coach, and I would love to play for him,” Lashley said. “My recruitment is going well; it’s starting to heat up after spring ball.”
He also has an offer from Southern Utah. Last season, he finished with 14 tackles and two interceptions for the Tigers.
Blessed to receive another D1 offer to @Lions_FB! @JacksonSimon25 @nilsonsports pic.twitter.com/X4iLU8VRID
— Matthew Lashley (@MatthewLashley_) April 15, 2026
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(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – Democrats are running for 46 of South Dakota’s 105 legislative seats — leaving 56% of seats without a Democratic candidate.
That doesn’t bode well for the party ahead of November, said Michael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota.
“It doesn’t put them in a position to actually put forward their ideological policy preferences and have much of a success at getting those enacted,” Card said.
In the state Senate alone, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 22 seats, which is nearly two-thirds of the chamber. In the House, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 38 seats, which is 54% of the chamber.
There is only one Democratic legislative primary in the state: a state Senate race in District 26, which includes the Rosebud Reservation.
There are no statewide Democratic primaries, after announced candidates for governor and U.S. House dropped out or failed to gather enough petition signatures to make the ballot, leaving one Democrat in each of those races.
Statewide candidates will have less name recognition than Republican candidates ahead of the general election, since they didn’t have primaries, Card said. In the Legislature, Card said Democrats “are guaranteeing they won’t get a majority.”
In contrast, Republicans have primary races for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Five legislative districts do not have Republican primaries, but do have Republican candidates. There is a Republican candidate running for every legislative seat, except for one House seat in District 27, which includes the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Card said there are several factors leading to poor candidate turnout among Democrats, including a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.
“A lack of winning makes fewer people willing to take a chance on running for office,” Card said. “Why run if I think I’m going to lose?”
Democrats haven’t held a statewide office since 2015, and they haven’t held a majority of either legislative chamber since 1994.
Joe Zweifel, deputy executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said the organization worked “really, really hard” to convince Democrats to run for office.
“But you can’t force people to run for office,” said Zweifel, of Sioux Falls, who’s running for a legislative seat himself in District 12.
He’s heard the open seats called a “failure.” But he disagrees, choosing to focus on the Democrats who did step forward.
“We’re running quality, good candidates in those races,” Zweifel said.
The South Dakota Democratic Party hopes to build on legislative successes, such as a new law from Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, that commits state funding to cover the family portion of reduced-price school meals.
“That specifically is a return on investment for our donors, and it shows that Democrats are doing good things for the people of South Dakota,” Zweifel said.
Wittman’s success helped inspire Democratic District 13 House of Representatives candidate Ali Rae Horsted, of Sioux Falls, to take a second run at the Legislature. Horsted ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Sen. Sue Peterson in 2024, garnering 42% of the vote.
Horsted plans to build on that success and the name recognition she already has in the district. She hopes she’ll have “better odds” in this election, since there are two House seats for every district.
Horsted said it would better serve South Dakota if the state had a more balanced Legislature. While the latest Legislature was 92% Republican, 52% of voters in South Dakota are Republican. South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Democrats, 7.6%, in the Legislature nationwide.
“I think it’s important that people have options on the ballot,” Horsted said, “and people are able to vote for candidates that represent their values and their vision for the future of South Dakota.”
Makenzie Huber is a lifelong South Dakotan who regularly reports on the intersection of politics and policy with health, education, social services and Indigenous affairs. Her work with South Dakota Searchlight earned her the title of South Dakota’s Outstanding Young Journalist in 2024, and she was a 2024 finalist for the national Livingston Awards.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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