Community Resources

Walworth County Residents, this page is for you!

Why care about child care?

Whether it's the need for health insurance, income, or just personal preference, many local families with young children need quality, affordable child care options to make going to work and/or school possible. These parents are people who help you at local organizations each day—your bank teller, your cashier, your nurse. If they are worried about their child at home or having to leave work to take care of them, that impacts everyone from the business owner to the customer. In a recent survey of Walworth County businesses, 76.9% of employers said that some of their employees had quit or reduced their hours in the past year due to childcare challenges and 92% strongly agreed that the availability of affordable quality child care is important to the productivity of their workforce.

With a tight labor market, our local businesses need these working parents to be supported, and with the average household income for working Mobridge families at $63,760 in 2022 compared to $104,919 nationally (ACS 2022), these working families often rely on two incomes to make ends meet. With the national fertility rate well below the replacement level now (at 1.64 births per woman in 2020), discouraging working parents further from having children because there are no daycare spots available will also exacerbate population decline. This challenge needs a community solution, which is why we're so thankful you are here. 

Read the full Mobridge/Walworth County Child Care Study Report.

Want to help?

We've developed several ways that employees of local organizations can make a positive difference on the lives of children in child care and their providers. We have a few additional programs, listed below, that we are currently working on. If you are interested in any of these, please reach out to us at W3CPAssociation@gmail.com.

Child Care Substitute Program

Sometimes child care providers get sick or need a vacation too! Make a little extra income and help fill in the gaps of care that can leave multiple families in the lurch by becoming a substitute child care provider! To help an unregistered family day care, school substitutes can use their DOE background checks (licensed and registered programs will require DSS background checks). 

Rocking Babies Volunteer Program

Love rocking babies? So do we! After passing a DSS background check and completing state-mandated online trainings, community members can sign up to visit LOLA and rock babies throughout the day in a supervised environment, freeing staff for diaper changes, feedings, and more. 

Mobridge Child Care Provider Appreciation Day 

Looking to make a difference? Do something nice for a child care provider the day before Mother's Day. Whether it's buying someone a coffee, dropping off some new puzzles or bongo drums for the kids, or something else that makes you happy, this is the perfect day to say a big THANK YOU to our local providers.