South Dakota
‘We can’t exist without child care’: Rural towns use state funding to open local centers • South Dakota Searchlight
It’s been over six months since two in-home child care providers closed in Highmore. The town of over 600 in central South Dakota has a few other in-home providers, but all are full and have waitlists months out.
If a family wanted to move to the town — about an hour’s drive east of Pierre — there wouldn’t be any child care for them, said Beth Simonson, a board member of Hyde County Child Development.
Parents are driving their children up to 50 miles away to towns including Miller, Onida or Pierre to find child care, Simonson said. Some families have to split their children between child care in Highmore and another town.
Hyde County, where Highmore is located, has the fastest declining population in the state, according to census data.
“Why would young people want to move here if there isn’t quality child care?” Simonson said. “It’s one of the key elements of keeping people and growing our community, which we’ve been struggling with thriving. We need to attract those young families. We can’t exist without child care.”
The city of Highmore is one of 13 communities awarded a child care grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development last month. In total, the grants, using federal funds, are infusing over $3.7 million into helping communities find collaborative, innovative solutions to address child care needs across South Dakota.
The initiatives range from improving the child care workforce, to creating after school programs, to supporting existing providers with continued education. In Highmore, the community plans to use the $300,000 awarded by the state to create a community child care center.
“I don’t know what other solution there was,” Simonson said. “It’s been six months and nobody has really stepped up otherwise.”
The Hyde County Child Development board’s plan is to lease and renovate a vacant building — most recently a flower shop — as a child care center to serve up to 39 infants and toddlers. Highmore plans to eventually build a new child care center on vacant land owned by Venture Communications. That piece of land will house the center’s playground until then.
The state’s focus for the grants was fostering community collaboration between local governments, child care providers, businesses and schools, according to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Simonson expected a handful of people to help in the planning and implementation of the grant, but nearly 50 people came out to support the effort.
Based on a survey of over 100 Highmore residents, nearly 30% expect they’ll need child care in the next three years. Another 45% currently need child care during the summer months when school is out, since there isn’t an afterschool program for school-aged children in Highmore.
“They want this for their families and for Highmore’s future,” Simonson said. “That’s what this is really about. We need this for the future of our community.”
In Redfield, the economic development group Grow Spink (a reference to Spink County) plans a similar community child care center using the $245,000 it was awarded from the state. It will be open to the entire county, and will serve as an “umbrella organization” for other child care providers in the county. There are 12 in-home providers in Spink County and one community child care center in Doland — all are full with waitlists.
Having a central child care agency or office will help the county organize, award smaller grants for other child care providers to make renovations and improvements, and set up a substitute teacher system. In applying for the state grants, the economic development group realized one of the major challenges for providers is staffing.
“My own kids go to a provider in Redfield that has a waitlist out to 2026,” said Grow Spink Executive Director Gianna Schieffer. “I know of three or four providers who want to retire but don’t have the heart to close because their families have nowhere to go. They’re hoping there’ll be a solution sooner rather than later.”
Schieffer added she’s starting to see families move out of Redfield or pass up “good paying jobs” because of a lack of child care options. With 30% of the county population nearing or within child bearing age, it’s important for the growth of the county, she added.
Both Redfield and Highmore plan to fundraise more to reach their goals beyond the awarded grants.
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GRAND FORKS — UND senior guard Garrett Anderson had shot 1-for-7 from the field before he pulled up for a deep 3-pointer in overtime.
It was a make-or-break shot for the Fighting Hawks, who trailed South Dakota State by two points with 20 seconds remaining.
Anderson’s triple fell. On a Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center where several Hawks provided clutch shots late, it was his 3-pointer that iced the victory.
Gabe and Reed Uelmen / Grand Forks Herald
“That was a huge three by Garrett,” UND head coach Paul Sather said. “Happy for him, because you feel it with him — when that floodgate opens a little bit of confidence, and not just as a scorer but just as a player, he keeps fighting for it, keeps working for it, keeps keeping the right mindset.”
UND won 90-87, earning its third-straight win over the Jackrabbits and improving to 2-0 (8-10 overall) in Summit League play.
South Dakota State, hot off the heels of a commanding New Year’s Day win over Omaha, fell to 1-1 in conference (8-9 overall).
“These two first league games, you need to protect your home court if you want any chance to be in play at the end of this year,” Sather said. “It’s a great way to start. But you also need to go on the road and win some games. And as I tell the guys, it’s not who, when or where, it’s how you show up to play. And having that mentality, it’s not home and road, it’s ‘Are you ready to go today?’”
The Hawks needed just about everyone to stave off SDSU.
Redshirt sophomore guard Zach Kraft and freshman guard Anthony Smith III led the way with double-digit point totals in a first half that was a high-scoring, fast-paced affair.
Gabe and Reed Uelmen / Grand Forks Herald
UND shot 64.3%, South Dakota State 55.6%. By halftime, the Hawks had a slight 50-45 lead.
The shooting cooled down in the second half and in overtime. In those final two frames, the Hawks turned to a variety of players, from the starting lineup to the bench, to keep up with the Jackrabbits.
“It’s hard to sustain that for 40 minutes, but we were able to kind of get ourselves back,” Sather said. “Our bench was fantastic in that first half. … We sustained it, we got back in, we stayed there within distance of it, and guys made plays. We had opportunities to make plays and close the game, but we had plays that were made to get us into overtime and win in overtime.”
Redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen finished with a team-high 17 points and nailed the final two free throws in overtime to seal the win.
Gabe and Reed Uelmen / Grand Forks Herald
Kraft, who ended with 14 points, splashed a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left in regulation to take a 79-77 lead.
Junior forward George Natsvlishvili came off the bench and tied up the game just minutes earlier with a clutch second-chance layup. He also nabbed a key basket with 1 minute, 56 seconds left in overtime.
Before South Dakota State managed to rally back for its first lead of the second half, a free throw and a layup from Smith kept the Hawks’ offense on pace with the visitors. He finished with 16 points.
UND’s bench contributed 39 points.
Gabe and Reed Uelmen / Grand Forks Herald
“I felt like our bench won the game today,” Kraft said. “In the first half, (Smith) came into the game, knocked down that three at the end of the half, and then Wylee (Delorme) in the second half, five rebounds, scoring off the offensive rebounds, it’s huge for us.”
Delorme put together his best game as a Hawk in the win. The sophomore guard from Devils Lake constantly attacked the offensive glass, flexing some creativity with slick drives to the rim.
He earned a season-high 12 points.
Gabe and Reed Uelmen / Grand Forks Herald
“We’ve seen him more of a shooter (in practice), I haven’t really seen the behind-the-back, step-through and float,” Anderson said. “That was kind of new, that was a tough move. But he’s gotten to it in practice for sure.”
Kraft, Uelmen, Smith, Delorme and senior guard Eli King all finished with 12 or more points.
“We just relied on our guys that make those tough shots and are built for those moments,” Delorme said. “Seventh, eighth man off the bench — like Marley (Curtis), Marley can have a double-digit day too. All of us can go for 10 points, but it’s just a matter of making the easy plays and just using each other.”
UND will face its first road test of the conference slate this Thursday, when it travels to Omaha.
Gabe and Reed Uelmen / Grand Forks Herald
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 3, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 3 drawing
18-21-40-53-60, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 3 drawing
01-02-28-30-43, Lucky Ball: 07
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 3 drawing
03-04-05-25-42, Star Ball: 03, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Jan. 3 drawing
07-13-17-28-30
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 28, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 28 drawing
12-17-25-34-42, Lucky Ball: 09
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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