Most Missouri counties are ‘child care deserts’ for infants and toddlers
March 4, 2025
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 care slots at all. An infant and toddler child care desert specifically refers to a shortage of slots for children under the age of 2.
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