Happy Friday! Megan here.
Weather check: Just stay inside
🍔 Warm yourself with a Local News Burger. Ok, maybe 500 was too big of a goal (I'm still not sure it was), but here's the thing, if only 8% of you reading this right now bought one, we'd hit that goal. Each local news burger is an investment in 2026 election coverage, which means it's an investment in you having a better understanding of Sioux Falls' future leaders before you choose them.
This week, you'll learn more about the complex challenges facing families in Sioux Falls. You'll also learn some ways you can help make a difference by thinking in terms of the broader systems we all live within. Plus, catch a few Super Simplified Stories to take you through the weekend.
And now, news:
COMMUNITY
As kids are taken away, their parents face increasing obstacles in caring for them
Simplified: Sioux Falls saw 584 kids impacted by abuse and neglect last year. It's about an elementary school's worth, as Sioux Falls Area CASA Program CEO Stacey Tieszen put it. While that number hasn't seen a big change year-over-year, what is changing dramatically is the number of obstacles the parents of those kids are facing that keep them from caring for their children.
Why it matters
- CASA, short for "Court Appointed Special Advocate," is a nonprofit that helps children who've been abused or neglected navigate the court system. Volunteers work to understand as much as they can about the environment kids are coming from to better inform public defenders and judges deciding ultimately where those kids end up.
- In 2023, the Sioux Falls Area CASA Program started tracking more data to help them better understand the obstacles parents face in caring for their kids. They looked at each petition filed with the court and categorized the various challenges from drug use to homelessness to criminal history.
- That data shows a more than 53% increase in the obstacles parents face between 2024 and 2025. On average, each parent who has a kid in the child welfare system is facing four obstacles. That means, for example, one parent might be dealing with alcohol addiction, homelessness, mental illness and domestic violence.
- Tieszen said the data shows the complexity of what's going on in some Sioux Falls households. And it matters that the community pays attention because the kids these parents have can fall into the same challenges and obstacles when they become parents themselves.
"At the end of the day, there's nothing more important than supporting the needs of our children and helping ensure they don't repeat patterns as they become parents," Tieszen said.
Tell me more
COMMUNITY
These classes help you see the systems that shape local government
Simplified: Clint Brown uses a board game analogy to talk about how people interact with local government. Many folks are playing on a game board with pre-written rules, but they don't necessarily understand the rules, boundaries and limitations in which they're playing. Here's how his new Civic Studio classes aim to help.
Why it matters
- The Civic Studio is a project by the BAM Institute of Civic Biodesign, a higher education organization formed to encourage leaders to use whole-system thinking, i.e. looking at the broader systems that shape the world rather than exploring issues individually.
- Typically BAM offers graduate-level coursework for students to immerse themselves in, but Civic Studio is a new way to take that coursework to a more accessible format via weekly community classes and meetings.
- Brown is leading the Wednesday evening sessions at various libraries across town, and he said so far the program – which is free and open to anyone in the public to participate – has been attracting several local leaders across the public and private sector. That includes folks like Terry Liggins, founder of the Hurdle Life Coach Foundation, who's attended multiple Civic Studio events this month.
"One of the great benefits of any type of group learning is reducing isolation," Liggins said. "Right away, you're able to be less isolated in your passion."
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SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS
Why your kid isn't too young for swimming lessons
This is a paid piece from SafeSplash Swim School.
Simplified: You might not think your toddler is ready to jump into the deep end of the pool, but at SafeSplash Swim School, you'll see kids as young as 2 or 3 jumping into the water (or into their instructors arms in the water) and getting themselves safely back out. It's all part of SafeSplash's proven curriculum to teach water competency, keep kids safe, and calm parent fears.
Why it matters
- Drowning is the leading cause of death for kids age 1 to 4, according to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, and water competency is a key component in preventing these tragedies.
- SafeSplash has partnered with the Drowning Prevention Alliance to encourage parents to make sure swimming is the First Sport their kids learn. The goal is to prioritize and teach swimming as a critical survival skill – before kids throw their first touchdown or perform their first dance recital.
- SafeSplash helps kids learn water competency, i.e. the ability to safely enter, move around, and exit water, through a proven curriculum that teaches even very young children to practice floating, breathing control and getting in and out of the pool.
"The first step to water competency is just getting kids comfortable in the water," said Dan Sobocinski, owner of SafeSplash's three Sioux Falls locations. "The comfort young children learn, especially in overcoming fear with fun while bonding with their parent in Parent-Tot classes, builds a foundation of confidence and safety in the future."
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TL;DR
Super Simplified Stories
- Calling all lifeguards. Nothing like the coldest day of the year to get you wishing for summer, and the Sioux Falls parks and recreation department is already living in June. The department is hiring summer positions, from lifeguards (whose starting pay is $17.40/hour now) to seasonal parks workers doing maintenance and recreation jobs. Want in? Learn more and apply here.
- 🐝 Civics Bee coming to Sioux Falls. It's like a spelling bee, but for citizenship. The Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce is hosting the first-ever Regional Civics Bee for middle school students. Learn more and get your civics-minded kiddos to register here.
- A quick look at Pierre. There's already been about 250 bills filed during the state legislative session, and a few topics that've risen to the surface thus far include removing gun silencers from the state's definition of "controlled weapon," requiring elections whenever schools want to opt out of property tax limits, and banning "diet weed" for anyone under 21. You can check out all the bills here.
THIS AND THAT
What I'm falling for this week:
ICYMI
More Simplified Stories
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
Megan Raposa
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