Childcare & Education
Childcare & Education
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Tri-Share for America:
Building a Stronger Workforce Through Affordable Care
Tri-Share for America:
Building a Stronger Workforce Through Affordable Care
The Challenge:
Childcare and afterschool programs are the backbone of working families, but right now, they’re out of reach for too many. Families spend up to 30% of their income on care, and nearly 60% of U.S. counties are “child care deserts.” That gap costs the American economy $122 billion every year in lost productivity and earnings.
Economic Returns:
Every $1 invested in after-school programs returns $3 in improved outcomes, reduced crime, and increased workforce participation.
The plan is projected to create or stabilize an estimated 1.5 million jobs across the care and education sectors.
Education is an investment
When we invest in education, we invest in South Dakota’s future. That means more than just funding, it means truly supporting our local schools, respecting our educators, and ensuring every child, in every zip code, has access to opportunity.
From early learning to college, apprenticeships to workforce training, we need to create real pathways from cradle to career, no matter what direction a student takes.
Education opens doors but too often, those doors are locked for rural students, tribal communities, and families living paycheck to paycheck. Let’s work to make sure every student in South Dakota has the key and the support they need to walk through it.