RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Senate Bill 125 would require the Department of Social Services to conduct a state-wide study on childcare.

Representative Taylor Rayfield of District 14 stated, “Why is it (the survey) important? Well, if we don’t know the cost of childcare, we can’t really move forward and make sure that childcare is affordable for all families.”

The $250,000 would go into studying things such as the time of year when childcare is needed the most, licensing types such as private or home daycare, the age ranges of children in care, and tax reimbursements for care. Kalya Klein, the Director of Early Learning South Dakota, stated, “There are many gaps in childcare within the state and the Black Hills, especially in our smaller towns.” She added, “This bill will highlight those gaps and give the state a better starting point.” She highlighted, “For this bill, we would be looking at any child under the age of 13. So we are looking at those reimbursement rates for any child, from toddlers and preschoolers all the way into school age.”

If passed, the study will also focus on the impact of inflation, population growth, and the growth of childcare providers, as well as the cost of compensation and benefits for childcare workers and develop a cost estimation model of payment for the childcare assistance program.

Representative Rayfield stated, “Childcare is really a workforce issue, and we have an estimated $330 million that we lose every single year because we don’t address our childcare issue.”

The bill has not yet had a committee hearing; if Senate Bill 125 is passed, the report would have to be finished by October 31st, 2024.

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