By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
The broader Moody County community has been following, for the better part of the past two years, the development of the new Early Childhood Enrichment Clubhouse — part of the Boys & Girls Club complex on the west end of the Flandreau Public Schools campus.
It’s finally here.
A grand opening is set for Friday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 803 W. Community Dr. There will be a ribbon cutting, lunch and a chance to walk through the space and see what’s been built.
Doors officially open in May.
If you’ve been one of the many families trying to piece together childcare, juggling schedules or just hoping for more options locally — this is the project so many have been talking about.
The Clubhouse is built for kids as young as six weeks old through kindergarten, and it’s designed with real life in mind. The hours — organizers hope — actually work for working parents: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Not just the traditional 8-to-5 window that doesn’t fit so many jobs in the region.
It also sits right next to the existing Boys & Girls Club of Moody County and Flandreau Public Schools, creating something unique for a community Flandreau’s size. From the start, it’s been designed as a place where kids can grow up in the same system of care and support — from infancy through high school.
Years of studying childcare needs across the county have shown this isn’t a new issue. It’s been a quiet, ongoing challenge for families. They make it work however they can — or they’re forced into tough decisions about jobs, schedules, or even staying in the community at all.
The Clubhouse is built with that reality in mind, alongside a growing recognition that more young families are choosing to call Moody County home.
The project itself reflects that same kind of momentum.
It’s been a collaborative effort between the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Plains, the City of Flandreau, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, county officials, Dakota Layers, the Ramsdell family, and other public and private partners — all working together to make something happen that none could have done alone.
Partnerships with local schools and South Dakota State University are also expected to help build a pipeline into childcare and child development careers — something this region, like many others, continues to need.
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