Parents react to Apple Tree closure: ‘I have no idea what we’re going to do’
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - The sudden news that Apple Tree will be closing its doors early next month was received hardest by the parents. They say they’re feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place wondering what to do next.
Emily Hage is a mother of two. She found out about the closure Thursday night after her friend sent her the news article.
“I didn’t get a message from the daycare until after the articles came out saying, ‘Oh yeah, by the way, we are closing on January 12th, 2024,’” Hage said.
Elizabeth Kirschenman recently had her first child, and they were scheduled to have him start at Apple Tree next month. She found out through Facebook.
“I had my baby on my chest, and I got scared. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to find something in time. Especially with the holidays quickly approaching,” Kirschenman said.
For both of them, the news created a sense of panic.
“I don’t have family that doesn’t work that can take them. Every daycare that I called previously had been on a four-year-long waitlist. I looked at my husband, and I said, ‘I have no idea what we’re going to do,’” Hage said.
“We had this set out months in advance, and I thought that piece was ok. So it was pretty unnerving when all of that was taken away,” Kirschenman said.
Hage also had to break the news to her kids, Riley and Hailey.
“I told them this morning that Apple Tree would be closing because I’m very upfront with my kids and honest with them, and they were really sad,” Hage said.
That feeling of empathy also extends to the other parents, as well as the Apple Tree employees who will soon be out of work.
“It breaks my heart because there are so many families that are impacted that might not be able to find a solution in this amount of time,” Hage said.
“When you’re supporting yourself and your own family, too, and you find out that after Christmas you’re not going to have a job, that’s so hard,” Kirschenman said.
Hage is hopeful they’ll find after-school care for Riley and Hailey. Kirschenman believes they found a spot at a daycare in Tea, but both of them are aware of the large-scale impact this closing will have.
“I don’t have the answers, but there has to be something that can be done to stop this crisis because they’re losing work,” Hage said.
“Whether it’s at a center or an in-home daycare, I know that in our community, it’s been a struggle, and it’s sad. I feel like something needs to be done,” Kirschenman said.
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