Leading in child care, EmBe builds on successful year with focus for 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by EmBe.

Essentially from the time she became old enough to care for kids herself – age 15 — Caitlin Rothschadl has worked in child care.

Today, more than a decade later, she’ll tell you she loves and is energized by the field.

A year ago, “I was experiencing burnout,” she said. “I was ready for a change.”

She happened to apply at EmBe South.

“I remember back to the day I interviewed, and it felt so bright and inviting,” she said.

“The atmosphere felt like an environment I could see myself in, and that hasn’t stopped from the time I was hired until now. It continues to be bright and inviting and enjoyable at work.  I feel empowered, excited to go to work, motivated and happy being at EmBe. It has truly been a new lease on employment for me.”

Change begins with leadership.

And Rothschadl, who is now the child care manager at EmBe South, is one of many leaders helping drive change in a field that desperately needs it.

Today, EmBe South has rare openings in child care. There’s a new 4-year-old room with room to grow and a new toddler room ideal for kids 18 to 21 months.

“When I first came in, I noticed we had opportunities to better utilize our space, and in doing so, we could add new classrooms. The challenge is hiring the staff to grow, but  I’ve never been afraid to hit the ground running,” she said. “I committed to EmBe that we will fill our classrooms and have a really positive year. And we can do that because we have a really great team.”

That team extends to EmBe’s leadership, where CEO Kerri Tietgen calls addressing the community’s need for child care the organization’s priority in 2023.

“Last year, we were educating the community on the child care crisis. Today, the community understands the issues, and it’s time to move on to tangible solutions, which is exciting,” Tietgen said.

EmBe is an active leader with the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative and is focused on bringing best practices for businesses, individuals, communities and providers, she said.

Another way that EmBe is responding to community need is by partnering with the Sioux Falls School District as one of four providers delivering after-school care within elementary schools beginning this fall.

“The Community Learning Center model starts with after-school care but has several unique solutions for meeting the needs of families in this community,” Tietgen said.

While EmBe has been able to add capacity for child care, “I think EmBe is an anomaly,” Tietgen added. “Across the city, waitlists continue to grow long, and hiring staff continues to be a challenge across the board. The difference with child care is that in our industry, we work so that our community can work.”

The EmBe team has worked diligently to respond to the needs of the community and is adding capacity for children age 0 to 2 at the South location as well as downtown, which is experiencing significant demand.

“It’s for care for infants through to age 2, which is also the most costly and difficult to provide,” Tietgen said. “But given EmBe’s mission to serve women and families, we will grow to meet demand. We are excited to have new classrooms in those age groups and grateful for the amazing staff that allows us to do so.”

Rothschadl oversees a team of 53 at EmBe South and said her new hires have the same positive reaction to EmBe that she did.

“Absolutely,” she said. “I have had really positive feedback from those who started, along with our longtime team members. The longevity here is incredible. We are really providing an education, with an incredibly high level of expertise, longevity and love.”

But for her, the most powerful example of what EmBe is doing for women and children came through her own family. Her 18-month-old daughter attends child care at EmBe South.

“I remember the first couple days I worked at EmBe, Kerri told me: ‘We appreciate you. We want you here, and we want you to do your job, but I also want you to go home and be a mom.’ That was new. That was so eye-opening to me, to hear my employer supported that and expected me to make that a priority. It was really, really impactful and important. And since then, seeing my daughter learning and growing just reinforces that I’m in the right place and that the job we’re doing is so important to other families. I can tell you firsthand your kids are receiving exceptional care here.”

That’s the culture EmBe is proud to cultivate, Tietgen said.

“We want people to come and be their whole selves,” she said. “When you can do that, it’s worth more than anyone can ever pay. That said, we’ve also done a really nice job with our compensation and benefits, and we worked hard to create a space where individuals can be successful. With the support of the families we serve, we’re offering the whole package.”

Looking ahead

While child care is a priority in 2023, EmBe is a multidimensional organization, so there are many other areas of growth ahead:

• The women’s programming is launching a program and headed in a new direction, so watch for details in the months ahead.
• Youth programming continues to expand, including a partnership with the University of Sioux Falls for volleyball and additional programming serving middle school and high school girls.
• Aquatics continues to grow, including opportunities to support Sioux Falls-area communities.

“There are a number of things we’re excited about,” Tietgen said. “We’re extremely confident in our team at all levels, and we can’t wait to see what they deliver in the year ahead.”

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