Helping Children

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire’s Early Childhood Education program provides quality childcare and education programs for young children. 

EmBe's Childcare program delivers personalized, play-based learning for children, focusing on holistic growth and development. Program ensures quality care, tailored to each child’s age and cognitive ability, shaping brighter futures and making a lasting impact on education and community enrichment.

Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership’s Sioux Falls Center provides high-quality early childhood development services to low-income and special needs children. 

Ready to Start provides a five-week program for children who may not have had access to pre-kindergarten services or who may have demonstrated a need for additional services prior to their first day of school. The program serves children in Harrisburg, McCook Central, Sioux Falls, and Tea Area School Districts.

Sioux Falls Hope Coalition focuses on narrowing the achievement gap in our community through a straightforward strategy: Ensuring that every child gets a chance to attend preschool and arrives at kindergarten prepared. Through preschool partnerships, the coalition seeks to connect 3, 4, and 5-year-old children to existing high-quality preschool programs regardless of their family's ability to pay private tuition. The program serves families at 185% of poverty level and below. 

Preschool Opportunity Program, administered through Sioux Falls School District, provides a high-quality pre-kindergarten experience for children whose families have socio-economic challenges last year. Longitudinal research from the High/Scope Research studies show that quality early childhood education has long-term benefits for children that include: fewer failing grades, higher graduation rates, decreased involvement in social services as adults, and higher monthly earnings as adults.

Avera McKennan’s Success by 6: provides new parent resource packets, child temperament assessments, and other resources for families and new parents.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library :provides free books to children under the age of five each month through the mail.

Sanford Children’s CHILD Services’ Success by 6 : provides new parent resource packets, child temperament assessments, and other resources for families and new parents.

Toy Lending Library of SD creates opportunities for children zero to five years old to enhance their learning development through play.

Atlas Academy provides a lost cost, year-round, whole-person youth soccer program that strives to build character, teamwork and a sense of belonging with primarily Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Connecting Kids creates the opportunity for children in grades K-8 to take part in an activity for a free or reduced rate. Children have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports, camps, classes, and fine art activities through different partner organizations. 

KIDSTOP provides a free after school and summer recreation program for students in grades K-8. 

Lutheran Social Services’ After-School and Summer Programs emphasize hands-on activities to keep children engaged in learning outside of school hours. 
 

Lutheran Social Services’ Here4Youth provides out of school time care for youth with special needs and their siblings. The primary focus of the program is to provide opportunities for youth who need more attention and specialized help.

Access for All/Community Learning Centers (CLCs), administered through Sioux Falls School District, provides scholarship opportunity to children from low to moderate-income households to attend after school and summer enrichment programs and receive academic support services through Sioux Falls School District's Kids Inc. program.

Children’s Connection, a program of Family Connection provides weekly support groups, family events, and more to children whose parent or close family member has been incarcerated. 

Lutheran Social Services’ Community Mentoring program provides youth who are at-risk for low achievement socially, emotionally, and economically with a mentor who is able to provide support, guidance, and friendship. Mentor relationships are developed through community-based activities. Last year, 206 mentor matches were made or maintained through the programs. Recent research shows that mentoring relationships support a youth’s growth and development in multiple areas simultaneously. This includes better development of morals and values, improved decision making, feeling empowered to succeed, and receiving encouragement to enter or finish college.

Lutheran Social Services’ High School Mentoring program provides at-risk high school students with a long-term volunteer mentor to encourage and support high school graduation.

Lutheran Social Services’ In School Mentoring program provides elementary and middle school students with positive adult role models at their schools.

Scouting America, Sioux Council Juvenile Diversion is a program that works with juvenile offenders diverting them through a Teen Court or WhyTry, a truancy program for 10-17+ missed days of school.

Scouting America, Sioux Council Scouting program benefits young people by emphasizing family, community, and character education.

Scouting America, Sioux Council Scoutreach works to ensure that all low-income, culturally diverse, and hard-to-serve youth have the opportunity to experience Scouting. The program provides Scout leaders and facilitators for youth in traditional Cub Scout Packs.

Sioux Falls School District’s School Home Liaison and Refugee and Immigrant Academic Achievement Resources helps refugee and immigrant families understand the American education system. 

Avera McKennan’s Fire & Burn Prevention program provides education to children ages 3 to 10 on topics such as burn prevention, smoke alarms, home escape plan, cooking safety, eating healthy, and physical wellness.

Delta Dental of SD Foundation Mobile Dental Program provides oral health services to children who don’t have access to dental care.

Delta Dental of SD Foundation Sioux Empire Smiles program encompasses three core elements: a large-scale, one-day Sioux Empire Smiles event that provides free dental services to hundreds of children; four smaller, targeted mini events held throughout the year to expand access; and specialized treatment for children requiring extensive care delivered in a hospital or surgical center setting under anesthesia

Emily's Hope Substance Use Prevention Education Curriculum provides students from kindergarten through high school with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed, healthy choices and avoid substance abuse. Age-appropriate lessons and engaging activities support healthy decisions. 

Feeding South Dakota's Backpack Program ensures that children who rely on school meals do not go hungry over the weekend or during school breaks. Backpacks are filled with non-perishable ingredients that provide at least three nutrient meals. The food chosen is nutritious and kid friendly.

HorsePower is a therapeutic horse program for individuals with special needs. 

Lutheran Social Services’ PATH program partners with area school districts to meet the mental health needs of K-12 students in their schools. PATH eliminates barriers so that children and teens can get professional individual mental health counseling at school during the school day.

Sioux Falls Area CASA Program provides abused and neglected children with a volunteer advocate, who serves on the child’s behalf through the overburdened juvenile court system.

The Foster Network serves families through a handful of programs including The Closet, The Assistance Program, and The Support Program to support them through their foster care journey.

The USD Scottish Rite Children’s Clinic for Speech & Language Disorders provides a full array of clinical services related to speech, language and literacy.