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 442k 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 in Missouri is around $7,600
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 14% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care
Missouri’s economy loses $1.9B annually due to child care challenges
MISSOURI: In The Headlines
As pandemic funding fades, Missouri child care providers wonder what’s next
PBS | November 9, 2023
“There’s just not enough options … and the options that are available are very expensive. This is something that’s been the case for a long, long time and that the pandemic shined a light on it for all of us,” Sarah Rittling, executive director of FFYF, said.
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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