Sioux Falls daycare Kidz Academy closes temporarily after mass resignation of staff
The parents of 75 Sioux Falls children learned late Tuesday night that their daycare provider would be shutting down the next day — and it could be nearly a month before it reopens.
Kidz Academy, a Sioux Falls children’s learning center and daycare, announced the temporary closure in an email sent to parents at 8:23 Tuesday night. The academy’s close was effective from Feb. 7 and is set to reopen on or before March 5, according to the email.
“Recent events have unfolded in a way that means we can’t offer the consistent, high-quality childcare we pride ourselves on over the next few weeks,” read the email sent by Amy Stockberger, one of Kidz Academy’s owners. “We understand the importance of reliable childcare, especially during these challenging times, and it pains us to have to pause our services temporarily.”
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In an interview, Stockberger said the situation began at midnight on Monday, when the then-director of Kidz Academy sent in her resignation after about two years in the position. After this, six of the eight full-time employees under her leadership at the academy sent in their resignation as well.
Stockberger said she and the daycare's other owners received the email early Tuesday morning around 6 a.m., after which they tried to push through the day by bringing in additional staff from Apple Tree East as a favor to help them. The owners, along with the Apple Tree staff, were able to work with the children and keep the daycare going on Tuesday.
“It saddens me because it affects our families first,” said Stockberger. “It’s unfortunate for the families and for the kids.”
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In the email, Stockberger said that the closure was in no way “an indication of (them) closing down or moving on.” She said they’re “fully committed to coming back stronger, with a target to reopen by March 5th, if not sooner.”
Kidz Academy owners are currently in talks with Apple Tree East, another Sioux Falls children’s center that Stockberger said is possibly shutting down towards the end of February, who have “offered to provide short-term care for essential workers’ families until the end of February.”
The Apple Tree closures were announced late last year, a significant hit to a city already struggling with a childcare crisis.
A June 2023 report from Sioux Falls Thrive and the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative said the city had 12,260 licensed slots for childcare, and 12,904 children with all of their parents in the workforce.
It also showed that 64% of childcare centers were failing to reach their licensed capacity as a result of staffing shortages — and said that the mean hourly wage for childcare workers in Sioux Falls was $12.34 an hour.
In an attempt to handle the process of temporary closure, Stockberger’s email said the academy would be prorating this week’s tuition and also arranged for families to go and pick up any personal items on Feb. 7 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
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Kidz Academy is using this time to reorganize, rebrand and revamp their services, upgrading their facility with the Montessori program, a new food program and new lesson plans, Stockberger said. The academy was always planning on doing a rebrand effective on March 1, with a new brand called Apple Blossom Academy, and this situation has pushed them to do it sooner.
“This pause gives us a valuable opportunity to enhance our facilities and curriculum,” said Stockberger. “Our goal has always been to provide the best care possible, and these improvements are part of that commitment.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Kidz Academy temporarily after mass resignation of staff
