Simplified: About 7 in 10 Sioux Falls residents support using tax money to make childcare more affordable, according to survey results from the 2025 National Community Survey.
Why it matters
- Childcare costs more than in-state college tuition in South Dakota, and most parents – as many as 9 in 10 – are paying more than they can afford, according to federal definition of childcare affordability at no more than 7% of the annual household income.
- The childcare crisis in Sioux Falls is well-documented, and after months of research, a 97-page report outlining specific, actionable solutions released in 2023, and a separate city task force studying the issue in 2024, City Council has shied away from using city dollars to support families.
- But childcare re-entered the chat during Tuesday’s City Council informational meeting when Councilor Jennifer Sigette said she was “shocked” to see that the majority of residents in a statistically valid survey say they supported using tax money to make childcare affordable.
“There was some traction on this a year ago, and we just didn’t feel the support to continue to try to get a project up and running to help make childcare more affordable,” Sigette said. “And yet this is 70% of people saying tax dollars should go to help … This makes me think we need to bring that project up again.”
Of those who answered “yes,” more than 60% said the support should be for all families, while the rest indicated support should be just for low-income families…