Jefferson City's municipal government is tripling its funding for a child care initiative. Last year, the Jefferson City budget set aside $10,000 for a new employee child care program called "Child Care Works." This year, the mayor and city administrator are proposing to increase the city's Child Care Works funding to $30,000. Mayor Ron Fitzwater said the...
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Kids Win Missouri today announced the fifth cohort of its ECE Leader Fellowship and the launch of a new Health Leader Fellowship pilot, bringing together a combined 43 advocates from across the state to advance early childhood and health equity at the Missouri State Capitol. ECE Leader Fellowship — Cohort 5 The ECE...
American families continue to struggle to afford child care. In a 2026 national poll conducted on behalf of First Five Years Fund, 80% of voters said working parents’ ability to find and afford child care is in a “state of crisis” or a “major problem.” Without sufficient federal funding to fill the gap, some states are...
Child Care Aware of Missouri, in partnership with Kids Win Missouri, helped Etrailer launch the first Missouri Child Care Works Tri-Share program at a St. Charles County business. Tri-Share divides the cost of child care among employers, families and either state government or a philanthropic partner. Etrailer is a family-owned and operated RV, trailer and...
Nicci Rexroat, owner of A Place To Grow pre-kindergarten center, has worked in child care for 19 years, and she’s beginning to believe most of Missouri has become a child care desert. “You know, I have families calling me every day looking for spots, and we’re full in Jefferson City until August of 2027,” Rexroat said. Rexroat...
Hundreds of child care providers, parents and child advocates rallied in the Missouri Capitol Wednesday, a day after the House signed off on $51.5 million in cuts to the state’s child care subsidy program. The proposed budget, which needs another roll call vote in the House before heading to the Senate, would also derail plans for the...
More than 750 child advocates from across Missouri gathered at the State Capitol on Tuesday for Child Advocacy Day, urging lawmakers to reject a proposed $51 million cut to child care funding. Organized by Kids Win Missouri, the event brought together advocates, providers, and families who warned that the proposed reduction could have significant impacts on vulnerable...
KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail. A budget proposal in the Missouri legislature would cut the childcare subsidy program by $51 million. The proposed cuts have some local families and child care providers are on edge as the bill passed through the...
Greene County employers can now sign up to be a part of a new childcare pilot program through Community Partnership of the Ozarks. CPO seeks to help find childcare solutions to both support working families and strengthen the workforce in the region. Dubbed Child Care Works, the new pilot program splits childcare costs between the employee, employer...
For Scarlett Loomas of Sikeston, the logistics of obtaining day care for her children were half the battle. She would drive southeast for 30 minutes each morning to East Prairie in Mississippi County to drop her kids off at child care. Then she would drive another 40 minutes farther south to work in Portageville in New...