REDFIELD, S.D. — Gianna Schieffer doesn’t need data or stories from other parents to prove the point that this central South Dakota city has a worrisome shortage of day care options.

Schieffer, executive director of the Redfield Area Development Corp., has for the past couple years led an effort to obtain grants and loans, solicit donations and host fundraising events to get the money to convert a former bank building into a large child care center in downtown Redfield.

As a working mother of two, including an energetic toddler, Schieffer can point to her own situation as evidence of the shortage and the stress it can cause. On a recent day in February, the in-home child care provider Schieffer relies on came down with the flu, leaving her and several other parents with nowhere to drop off their children.

Schieffer’s husband runs a ranch supply store located well out of town. But fortunately, Schieffer works alone in a downtown office and was able to bring 2-year-old Maya with her to work.

“This is exactly the kind of situation we’re hoping to avoid with the new day care, where we could offer a drop-in service for parents on a daily or emergency basis,” Schieffer said. “If you want to work as a parent, you have to take your kids somewhere.”

The lack of child care is a common problem in cities both large and small across South Dakota and creates ripple effects beyond the immediate uncertainty for working parents.

Combined with a shortage of affordable housing, the dearth of day care is stunting potential economic and population growth as schools, government agencies and businesses are in some cases unable to hire employees because workers cannot find care for their children.

The problem is worse in dozens of small, rural communities that are often isolated from large population centers with more options.

The community has embarked on a three-year campaign to raise the roughly $1 million needed to buy a former Wells Fargo bank building in town and convert it to large child care able to hold 51 children upon launch and eventually more than 90 children.

Redfield does not have a center-based day care operation and has seen the number of small, at-home providers fall from 10 in 2023 to seven in 2026. Some of those remaining providers are nearing retirement age and are likely to stop providing the service in the coming years, Schieffer said.

Jake Dawson is a father to two pre-school age children and feels lucky that he and his wife are able to drop their children off at an in-home day care in Redfield while he works the farm and his wife works in town.

Dawson used to run a John Deere dealership in Redfield and said he often heard from employees or prospective employees that obtaining child care was a challenge. Dawson said he knew of at least two parents who had to drive 50 miles each way either to Miller or Aberdeen in order to drop off their children during the workday.

Dawson, who serves on the board of the Redfield development group, said it is clear that a dwindling number of child care openings is holding the city back.

Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch

“From an economic development standpoint, having day care available is a huge asset,” he said. “In today’s world, I think young families are looking for smaller towns to start a family. And having day care allows a community to grow by attracting talented young people to town.”

Dawson said he has been impressed with how the city has pulled together to raise the money to support development of the community child care center. He said that once the first-floor day care is established, the second floor of the bank building could be turned into a community center or some other hub of activity for local children.

“I’m really happy that the city’s stepped up and made this a priority,” he said. “I’m hoping the community continues to rally behind this project to expand this into something more for kids of all ages.”

— This story originally published on southdakotanewswatch.org.