Marion & Ralls Counties

Led by Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council and a team of community stakeholders, Marion and Ralls Counties are conducting 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 Marion and Ralls Counties.

Key Findings

The number of children who need care is higher than the number of available slots. More than 700 additional infant and toddler slots are needed. Pre-K capacity is sufficient for the needs of the community, but an additional 322 slots are needed for preschoolers ages 3-5.

On average, families are paying 11% 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

45%

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

91%

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

“Our site operates 24/7 and I believe that shift workers have challenges with childcare particularly in the evening and weekend shifts. I think that this challenge inhibits our ability to attract female applicants to our shift operator roles.”

– Employer

Quotes and survey data are drawn from a non-representative convenience sample of Marion County and Ralls County parents and senior leaders of 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 719 kids who do not have a slot. Pre-K capacity is sufficient for the needs of the community, but an additional 322 slots are needed for preschoolers ages 3-5. 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.

“I had to pay a significant amount of money to reserve and maintain a spot in daycare before our baby was born, during summer months, and extended holiday breaks. Thankfully, we paid off a vehicle before our baby was born, and we were able to reallocate some of our monthly earnings toward daycare. When our baby was born, we had two children in daycare at the same time: a preschool age child and an infant. At the time, we were paying nearly $2000 per month on childcare. This was a significant financial burden that was barely offset by my monthly employment earnings.”

– Parent

Infant & Toddler (Birth-2 Years)

25%

Kids Served

953 Kids
234 Slots

Pre-Kindergarten (4-5 Years)

100%

Kids Served

317 Kids
462 Slots

Other Preschool (3-5 Years)

67%

Kids Served

969 Kids
647 Slots

76%

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

61%

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 $61,717, local families are paying 11% or more of their income to cover the cost of care for one child.

% income parents pay for Infant & Toddler Care

14%

% income parents pay for Preschool

11%

* 7% affordability threshhold

Median Household Income (MHI)

$61,717

Infant & Toddler parent tuition

$8,710

Preschool parent tuition

$6,630

Affordable Cost Level ( 7% MHI )

$4,320

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: $20,705

Infant & Toddler

$4,320

$16,385

Total Cost: $12,498

Preschool

$4,320

$8,178

Investment Gap

Affordable Cost for Parents

Our Team Members and Affiliation

Rusty Adrian

City of Palmyra

Stephanie Cooper

Douglass Community Services

Tom Duggar

Families and Communities Together

Stacey Giltner

General Mills

McKenzie Disselhorst

Hannibal Area Chamber of Commerce

Maria Kuhns

Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council*

Kindra Szarka

Hannibal Public Schools Early Childhood Center

Andrea Campbell

Hannibal Public Schools Public Relations

Wendy Johnson

Moberly Area Community College

Savannah O'Bryan

Marion County R-II School District

Allie Bennett

Northeast Power

Kathy Nicholson

Palmyra Early Childhood Center

Whitney Holliday

Parents as Teachers

Ellen Britt

Ralls County School District

Cheryl Mack

St. John's Lutheran Church

Denise Damron

United Way of the Mark Twain Area

Amanda Gibbs

YMCA of Hannibal

*Lead Organization

Data compiled by IFF in partnership with Kids Win Missouri and Katie Rahn Consulting. Thank you to our partner Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council. We also thank our funding partners Children’s Trust Fund and Upward Momentum.

Marion & Ralls Counties