Shortly after Mary Lloyd-Huber gave birth to her first child, she registered Ellie at a day care center.
Next March, shortly after Ellie's first birthday, there finally should be an opening.
"It's amazing to me, because day care centers continue to open up," Lloyd-Huber said.
"However, it seems to me we do need more. This is a city with 75 percent working women, and we all need places for our children to go."
Other parents with young children have experienced similar problems, but the public perception of the adequacy of day care might differ from the reality.
According to a recent poll, 34 percent of those responding said day care options in Sioux Falls are adequate, and 24 percent rated them as inadequate. The greatest number, 42 percent, said they don't know.
Among a younger age group, adults younger than 50, 44 percent think options are adequate, 32 percent inadequate.
>Residents were polled in early October. Mason-Dixon Polling & Research interviewed 625 registered Sioux Falls voters for the Argus Leader. The margin for error is plus or minus 4 percent.
According to 2006 census estimates, South Dakota has the highest percentage of married couples in the work force at 63.9 percent. Couples with children and single parents need to find a place for them to stay during working hours.
HelpLine averages about 200 calls a month from parents seeking child care. HelpLine lists providers registered with the state and those licensed through the city. Each month, it updates its list of openings.
"Some waiting lists go through the numbers very rapidly," said child care coordinator Penny Brandt. "For infants or toddlers, the waiting lists crawl slowly."
State rules require a ratio of one adult to five infants. In-home day care providers can have two children from newborn to age 1 and two children between ages 1 and 2, Brandt said.
HelpLine's database has 44 state-registered centers and 239 family child-care homes.
It might be a challenge to find day care, but it can be done, Brandt said.
"Supply does meet demand," she said. "Consistently, there's always plenty of spots available. It's just finding the spot that will work for your family."