Simplified: Sioux Falls Simplified spoke face-to-face with dozens of legislative candidates in the metro area. All candidates were asked the same slate of questions, and you can find comprehensive coverage for each district at sfsimplified.com.
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Here's what we asked:
Do you support using state funds toward preschool/afterschool care and/or childcare?
Here's what candidates said:
District 2
Adam Long: "This is a tough one. I think unless we’re going to change the public education status of what that looks like and what is needed then I don't think that's necessarily for the tax dollars."
- Long said he's a proponent of those programs in general and would support assistance via need-based application, but not if it means someone is approved and stays approved for support indefinitely.
- "I always want to be encouraging that family to be bettering themselves and getting to the point where they can afford those practices. When something is given to them, they don't find the need to figure out how to do that on their own.
- "I do ultimately want each kid to be able to have those experiences, but I think that is the job of the parent to do everything they can for their kids."
Manuel Luschas: "That's a good question. I'd say, partially, yes. ...
- "We want to encourage people to participate productively in the workforce, so I would favor an approach where we look at the income levels of families and, according to that, we subsidize their costs for preschool or childcare."
Blake Rife: "This has been a really important thing that has come up on the campaign trail. Given that our wages are low in South Dakota, it is a requirement that both parents work inside a home.
- "If we want families to feel successful (when it comes to) their opportunity to have kids, own homes, etc. then we’re gonna need to figure out a way to help manage that."
- "When we invest in early childhood education – that is kids that are 2, 3, 4, before preschool – that is when their brain is the most elastic that it can possibly be. Let's get them in some sort of educational program ... fill a gap."
- "That pushes us, it makes us more competitive with Minnesota, Iowa and some of these other surrounding states."
See more from District 2 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 6
Garret Campbell: "Absolutely. Childcare is actually the fourth place thing I hear when I ask people what their big, important issues are."
Jerry Jongeling: "That's not a question I've thought of before. I know the government needs to have a role in helping with daycare and preschool and whatnot.
- "Whether funding it is the right answer, I am not sure. I know we can help guide. We can help support. On the funding thing, you really have to see where our state budgets at and what's brought forward."
Elliott Neff: "I don't. I don't believe that is the job of state. I don't personally, on the principles of freedom, believe that it is the job of government to be taking care of us."
Austin Wolf: "I do. I pay $410 for a week of daycare. (I would support) some type of subsidy – something that we can do to ease the pain on those parents.
- "We need to find a way to make it easier for people to start a daycare business and a way to get that cost down. It's an incredibly expensive venture to run. I think the state needs to make it easier."
See more from District 6 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 9
Amanda Potter: "I do, and the reason why is because we have seen literature and data that it pays itself back in multiple.
- "The other reason I support investing in early childhood education and daycare is because it supports working families. ... A lot of times that childcare payment is more than your mortgage. In a time when families are getting squeezed in all sides, I think that is one lever the state can pull to truly help people and make a big difference for a lot of people."
Megan Tschetter: "I’m always careful about funding when it comes to the government supporting the people. I believe that if it taxes the people or hurts the people, no.
- "I guess if the funding was there, I would be willing to look at it. As far as paying for it, I’m not so sure about that I would have to learn more about that."
Tesa Schwans: "I would support the funding being used for preschool care.
- "After-school care is just hard because then some people receive it and some people don’t, so it’s hard to be fair with that.
- "With preschool, I would definitely be a proponent of something like that to get children into a structured learning environment earlier on so that they have resources given to them for what they’re going to need for school."
See more from District 9 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 10
Liz Larson (Senate): "Absolutely, if it’s the right model. There are all sorts of models on those types of ideas that have varying degrees of efficacy.
- "There is so much data to show how invested in early childhood development — especially from 0–5, which we don’t really do here in South Dakota — how deeply that is connected to the economic performance of a state in the long term.
- "I absolutely think it should never be off the table to invest in those things because it is economic development, workforce development. They all coincide in early childhood. It’s the biggest bang for your buck."
Michael Dupic (Senate): Declined to be interviewed.
Adam Bair (House): "That’s another part of the affordability crisis in South Dakota. A year of childcare is almost as expensive as sending a kid to college, and that’s a huge problem.
- "There are multiple counties within South Dakota that don’t have licensed daycare providers, and that’s also a problem.
- "If we want to see the state grow like we want it to grow, we need to help working parents by providing this service. When it comes down to it, this is infrastructure. This is ensuring people have the services and the means they need."
Kathleen Brudvig (House): "I do, absolutely. Universal pre-K would be something I’d be very interested in pursuing.
- "Childcare as well — that is so important for our families, for our kids, for our communities, and for our economy to make sure people have access to affordable childcare. So I would absolutely support finding some way to subsidize or work with the state to try to offset some of that childcare bill. For a lot of families it’s more than a mortgage right now to send their child to daycare."
Kimberly Petterson (House): "I think I would support some support in that because I actually did have to put my kids in daycare and it’s very expensive.
- "It’s crazy how expensive it is, and if there could be some support for it that would be wonderful. The only thing on the downside of it is you don’t want to take away from the budget that’s going toward our public education. Where’s that money going to come from? I don’t want it to come from the public schools."
John Pohlman (House): "I think preschool is one that we need to take a hard look at. Kids need a good start to be able to not come out of the gates behind their peers, so programs like Head Start I think are extremely important. My mother was a Head Start teacher, and I know the value.
- "Beyond that, I’m not sure it’s the state’s responsibility to cover childcare. Things are already very, very tight with regards to the obligations the state has to Medicare, infrastructure, and to a lot of different programs that are already in place. I’m not so sure we need to create any new programs given that we’re already struggling to cover the expenses of the programs that exist."
See more from District 10 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 11
Chris Karr (Senate): Did not respond to interview requests.
Aaron Matson (Senate): "Yes. We’re one of just a handful of states that don’t have state funding for those programs, so I think it’s time we catch up.
- "My thought is our children are our most important resource. We need to do whatever we can – with pre-K, with childcare and after-school programs – to make sure they have a great educational experience as young people growing and developing. We need to use every tool we can to make sure they’re successful."
Brian Mulder (House): "I've supported bills like that in the past. Just recently I was involved in talking to the Department Secretary of Social Services about adjusting the childcare assistance rates for the out-of-school-time programs in Sioux Falls. They were just released, and we had to adjust quickly to make up a deficit. Again, our first obligation should be the standard of the 3% in our public schools before we add more and more."
Sonja Mentzer (House): "Yes. I think it can be done in a variety of ways. It does not have to be 100% funded, but it can certainly be an assist or partial payment to help in coordination maybe with some other private or employment or other school building facilities to help make those things happen. There could be some cooperation between some different entities."
Tracey Quint (House): "That’s such a hard question to answer directly because I think there are so many different layers of that.
- "But I know that supporting pre-K and preschool is such an important element of making sure kids are ready for public elementary school. I think that yes, if we can find a way to do that, supporting parents who are working and making sure childcare is available for them is an important step to making sure kids are ready for life as they get older.
- "Finding ways to support them, finding tax dollars if they’re available to support them, is definitely an important aspect for a lot of working families, and in this economy it’s a hard thing to find. I think looking for ways that we can support parents is important."
Keri Weems (House) cited the number of daycares that have closed and how much the industry has changed since she was raising her children.
- "I would support, and in fact we had a bill that allowed for childcare for children of employees. I (would also support) some way that we can make sure the workforce is there and that childcare spaces are available. I hear stories all the time about how people need to lock in a childcare facility right after they find out they’re pregnant. That’s a problem.
- " I have done a 360 on preschool. I wasn’t for preschool when my kids were young, but now I see a lot of the benefits and what our children learn early on. I am a supporter of preschool, and I think that’s really, really important to set our kids off on a good foot and to get them going. The earlier we can get them learning and growing, the better.
See more from District 11 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 12
Amber Arlint (House): "We have a really large supply‑and‑demand problem in the state of South Dakota with this. South Dakota overall is a low‑tax state which also means we have fewer dollars for some of these state‑funded services.
- "But the stats around early preschool and the great start that can help children get is pretty incredible." Arlint also cited local examples like the Sioux Falls Hope Coalition or public-private partnerships in Madison.
- "One of the largest things we can do is continue to make sure regulations make it easy to do business in these sectors."
Stephanie Arne (House): "Yes. It’s about getting all students the opportunity from the beginning of their educational career.
- "Some of those early years are the most impactful and powerful years of a child’s learning experience and capabilities. If those initial years meet Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, they set children up for success in critical thinking, social-emotional learning, and being open to different learning styles."
Kerry Loudenslager (House): "Childcare – you know, I’m kind of old school when it comes to that. When Doreen and I got married 43 years ago, we had three children and she chose to stay at home.
- "I believe that’s an issue that needs to be addressed because today you’ve got two spouses working to pay the bills, especially with the affordability issues out there.
- "I’m open to looking at different options to help subsidize preschool, after-school, and childcare. My wife and I get involved now in doing that for our grandchildren and we enjoy it, but I think there needs to be some assistance. I’m just not sure the right way to do it. I know I need to learn more."
Kari Shanard-Koenders (Senate): "I know the costs are really the issue, and I think if parents could support that to a degree and perhaps public-private partnerships could be put together for this type of thing. I think all of those are great avenues for our kids. I’d rather have them in an afterschool program than out running on the streets. ...
- "All of that is important – it’s just (a question of) where the money comes from."
Joe Zweifel (Senate): Could not be reached for comment.
See more from District 12 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 13
Ali Rae Horsted: "Yes. I think those are all worthy causes.
- "There’s a direct link between childcare, early childhood education, and later outcomes. Data indicates that investment in early childhood education has significant benefits later in life, and there is a link between childcare and workforce participation. If people can’t find childcare or it’s too expensive, they can’t work. I think that’s a worthy cause for sure."
John Hughes: "We’ve got to do something. I was called a socialist for proposing on the House floor that private businesses that we are subsidizing with millions of taxpayer dollars do what Citibank did (in having an onsite childcare facility).
- "We are so preoccupied with bringing multinational major corporations to this state when we don’t have the workforce, and yet you’re called a socialist if you want GOED and our Future Fund to support and leverage private business, large corporate employers especially to provide daycare.
- "We wouldn’t have to subsidize taxpayer‑assisted daycare if, like, Amazon – they should have a daycare. If there are parents of young kids they ought to have a daycare. You’ve got to catch kids in that 3-5 age range. I agree with strong education and early intervention. We aren’t raising real wages. We market our low wage base as a reason for employers to come here, and every time I hear that I cringe."
Jack Kolbeck: "I think that all has to come down to the local level (and be) property tax funded (in regards to preschool). It has to. They have to rely on the property taxes they collect within their school district to be able to do that.
- "As far as daycare centers, that should be up to the community to fund them, whether that’s through the churches, private organizations, whatever that might be. I go back to – here we are asking our state’s tax dollars to do something that I think parents need to step up and take a look at. I think our community needs to step up, take a good look at it. Churches and businesses should step up."
See more from candidates in District 13:
Megan Raposa
District 14
Taylor Rae Rehfeldt: Could not be reached for comment before deadline.
Tyler Tordsen: "Yes and no. I think on childcare in general it’s been a very unique equation and a unique thing that I think has gotten a lot of well‑deserved attention at least in the last 5 to 6 years. It’s a weird deal where parents already feel like they’re paying too much. It’s way too expensive, but yet at the same time those kinds of providers need more funding. ...
- "It almost needs an injection of cash, but where are you going to get that from? It's like the Spider‑Man meme where they're all pointing at each other. State government, local government or business community – they're all kinda pointing waiting to see who’s gonna flinch first. No one wants to be the first one to actually step up."
Erinn Williams: "Yes ... I think before school/after-school care are huge, and I think it is part of the state's responsibility to make sure parents are able to work and kids are taken care of.
- "I think the Partners in Education fund could really help us fund pre-K. ... My kids were very fortunate to attend Citibank daycare, and they had preschool built in. We paid for it. I don't think it's unreasonable to say the state will subsidize half. Do it on an income-based level so that those people who can afford it (are still paying)."
See more from District 14 candidates:
Megan Raposa
District 15
June CopperStad (House): "Absolutely. ... Childcare is a public need – it’s not just education. Preschool education – we have studied the benefits. We know the exponential benefits that come from youth being able to access quality preschool. That’s definitely an appropriate use of state dollars because everyone’s going to benefit from youth that have a more solid foundation.
- "It's the same thing with after-school programming. Our youth need to have quality activities they can engage in with adults that are trusted in spaces that are comfortable and familiar and that support the family structure. At the end of the da,y when we’re talking about taking care of a child and supporting a family, that’s what we need."
Brenda Lawrence (Senate): Could not be reached for comment before publication deadline.
Erik Muckey (Senate): "Yes. In some ways we already do that, but I think if there is an economic issue that is at the heart of just about everything we talk about in South Dakota right now, it is childcare.
- "Watching the Secretary of Social Services botch a rollout of childcare services – that is a cross-cutting issue that knows no party. I think it’s really important for us to come up with partnerships with other actors – federal government, local government, and private business – to find solutions to make childcare as affordable as we can make it. ... We don’t have to break the bank to make this work, but we certainly have to get creative."
Joni Tschetter (House): "That is a good question. At this time I’ve never considered it deeply, but it’s worth asking, 'what do the school boards say?' I’ve never considered it fully. I’d be open to hearing the pros and cons.
- She later added that Sioux Falls' bus system could be used more to have kids ride the bus home after school. "It's a great resource that can be utilized more."
Kadyn Wittman (House): "Yes – can you underline that three times?
- "Yes, we should be subsidizing childcare, Pre-K and universal Pre-K across our state. If we really want to talk about the importance of economic development in our state and ensuring parents in the workforce, that means the government has to subsidize childcare. There is not another way around it."
Andre Zachariahs (House): "We are one of seven or eight states that does not provide any sort of funding for preschool or childcare right now. ... I know those expenses. It’s really hard to find a daycare provider. It’s really expensive to pay for daycare.
- When it comes to childcare specifically, with some of the models – college funding, Pell grants, etc. – when the state comes in you also see a rise in the overall cost because the institution can pass on a little bit more. Everything just ends up more expensive.
- "I think what we can do from a childcare standpoint: are there ways with zero-interest or low-interest loans to help fund supply? We really have a supply issue ultimately. That’s not going to change anytime soon. I would like to see some support on the supply area where if we can provide loans to help renovate or create a space for that, I think that would be an appropriate way to do it."
See more from District 15 candidates here:
Megan Raposa
District 16
Lisa Bogue: Could not be reached for comment.
Tim Rhead: "A lot of schools have stepped up and they do preschool on their own.
- "In Alcester we had 3-year-old and 4-year-old preschool – $170K of the budget. We make a commitment. We know the younger that we reach children, the more success they’re going to have. Reimburse some of that. I’m not saying that we have to pay for all of that, but if we can do something to help out with that, that would be wonderful. Again, these kids are the future of our country, and the sooner we can get them on the right path, the better we are."
John Shubeck: "I don’t think we have that money in the budget. And local schools have found ways to fund that on their own. Centerville is providing that for kids. I just don’t think the state level (it's feasible). We run an extremely lean budget. Unless the taxpayers are ready to cough up more money, it’s hard to fund that."
See more from District 16 candidates:
Megan Raposa
What happens next?
Election Day is Nov. 3.
You can check your voter registration on the Secretary of State's voter information portal. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 19.
