Cape Girardeau County

Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri, along with a multi-sector team of community stakeholders, is leading Cape Girardeau County in research on the current child care and early education landscape, fiscal resources available, and the true cost of implementing a high-quality, early childhood system that meets the community’s needs. A child care and early education plan, full of community- and data-driven strategies, will be developed that supports a high-quality, accessible early childhood system in Cape Girardeau County.

Key Findings

The number of children who need care is higher than the number of available slots. More than 1,000 additional infant and toddler slots are needed. Capacity for kids ages 3-5 is sufficient for the needs of the community.

On average, families are paying 16% or more of their income to cover the cost of care.

Current, unaffordable annual tuitions are not enough to cover the true cost of high-quality care.

Community Priorities

The Research

Child Care Is A Workforce Issue

50%

of surveyed employers report that employees’ access to child care greatly or significantly affects their business

70%

of surveyed employers report employees doing at least one of the following: taking time off to fill child care gaps, terminating their employment, permanently changing their work hours/availability, or temporarily changing their work hours

“Employees that do not have family around here would have trouble finding daycare for nights and weekends when they’re scheduled to work. This would force them to look for a daytime job.”

– Employer

Quotes and survey data are drawn from a non-representative convenience sample of Cape Girardeau County parents and senior leaders of county employers.

Families Lack Access to Child Care

The number of infants and toddlers who need care is higher than the number of available slots, with 1,021 kids who do not have a slot. Pre-K and other preschool capacity for kids ages 3-5 is sufficient for the needs of the community. This data is based on 70% of the estimated total number of children in the area, aligned with policy research estimates used by the State of Missouri.

“The biggest challenge has been finding an opening for childcare. It is nearly impossible to find an opening if someone would have an immediate need. For one of my children, I had them on the waitlist for a full year, before they had an opening. The other challenge is the cost of childcare. We spend twice the amount of our mortgage for childcare for 2 children under age 5.”

– Cape Girardeau Parent

Infant & Toddler (Birth-2 Years)

46%

Kids Served

1,888 Kids
867 Slots

Pre-Kindergarten (4-5 Years)

100%

Kids Served

647 Kids
994 Slots

Other Preschool (3-5 Years)

98%

Kids Served

1,920 Kids
1,881 Slots

89%

of surveyed parents who have done one or more of the following to accomodate child care: left the workforce, reduced working hours, switched jobs, changed work schedules, started to work from home, or moved to a new home

94%

of surveyed parents who were on waitlists prior to enrolling

THE COST OF CHILD CARE IS UNAFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), child care is considered affordable if it costs families no more than 7% of their income. With median household income of $65,070, local families are paying 16% or more of their income to cover the cost of care for one child.

% income parents pay for Infant & Toddler Care

16%

% income parents pay for Preschool

16%

* 7% affordability threshhold

Median Household Income (MHI)

$65,070

Infant & Toddler parent tuition

$10,634

Preschool parent tuition

$10,140

Affordable Cost Level ( 7% MHI )

$4,555

More Resources ARE NEEDED to Provide Affordable High-Quality Care

In addition to being unaffordable to families, the annual cost of tuition does not cover the true cost of high-quality care for providers. Additional funds from other stakeholders are needed to support high-quality care.

Total Cost: $21,205

Infant & Toddler

$4,555

$16,650

Total Cost: $12,655

Preschool

$4,555

$8,100

Investment Gap

Affordable Cost for Parents

Our Team Members and Affiliation

Ashton Doran

Cape Girardeau Public School

Stephanie Ellinger

Cape Girardeau Public School

Tracy Morrow

Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri*

Dr. Sarah Tlapek

Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri*

Polly Koch

Delta RV School

Kimberly Weakley

Early Childhood Community Leader 22

Ester Shutters

East Missouri Action Agency

Crissy Mayberry

Foster Adopt Connect

Brooke Uchtman

Jackson R-2 School District

Alesha Pearson

Magical Moments Childcare

Stephanie Wybert

Nell Holcomb R-IV School District

Katherine Myer

Oak Ridge R-6 School District

Dr. Sonia Wood

Oak Ridge R-6 School District

Brittney Ruopp

Parent

Diane Bryant

Parent

Dr. Sarah Garner

Southeast Missouri State University - Child & Family Studies

Amy Loomis-McDonald

THRIVE Birth to Five - CPSEMO*

Stacy Taylor

Tiny Hearts Creative Enrichment Center

Elizabeth Shelton

United Way of Southeast Missouri

Matt Ellison

United Way of Southeast Missouri

*Lead Organization

Data compiled by IFF in partnership with Kids Win Missouri and Katie Rahn Consulting. Thank you to our partner Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri. We also thank our funding partners Children’s Trust Fund and Upward Momentum.

Cape Girardeau County