Missouri
Working families in Missouri need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Missouri. But too many working families in Missouri are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Missouri economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 435k children ages 5 and under in Missouri – 67% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in Missouri is around $12,900.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 12% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.
On average, child care providers in Missouri earn just $28,940 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
Missouri’s economy loses $1.9B annually due to child care challenges,
MISSOURI: In The Headlines
Missouri is losing out on more than a billion dollars due to a lack of childcare
Fox 2 Now | May 23, 2024
Missouri’s economy is taking a significant hit, with more than a billion dollars lost due to insufficient childcare options, according to the state’s business community.
The Child Care Crisis: How lack of care impacts families, workforce, economy
Southeast Missourian | January 13, 2024
Missouri loses an estimated $1.35 billion every year due to child care issues, according to a 2021 U.S. Chamber of Commerce case study.
Parson outlines plan to address child care issues during State of the State address
ABC 17 nEWS | January 24, 2024
80% of business leaders think Missouri’s child care crisis is negatively affecting businesses’ ability to recruit workers and 64% say an incentive package from the state would make it more likely for them to invest in child care.
Missouri Resources & News
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