JEFFERSON CITY , MO – Advocates for child care are working to restore critical funding for child care removed last week in a proposal before the House Budget Committee’s FY2026 Missouri budget. The funding, proposed by Governor Kehoe, would provide upfront, enrollment-based pay to providers to bring the subsidy payment structure more in line with...
Missouri is still struggling with widespread childcare deserts, especially for babies and toddlers, according to a new report from Child Care Aware Missouri. Access to childcare has been a long-standing issue in the state. Former Governor Mike Parson made expanding childcare access a key priority during his administration, and current Governor Mike Kehoe has pledged to continue that...
A 2025 report from the Missouri Champion of Children and Child Care Aware of Missouri says that 112 out of 115 counties in the state are infant and toddler "child care deserts." A child care desert is defined as an area where there over three times more children than available licensed child care slots — or no child...