West Central Region

Under the leadership of New Growth Women’s Business Center, a nonprofit that fosters community revitalization, a unique community planning process has brought together Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties to examine the challenge of access to affordable, high-quality childcare. An impressive leadership team, made up of school district and Head Start representatives, parents, childcare providers, healthcare, local government, chamber and economic development representatives, and other ECE partners have come together quarterly to lead this effort.

The team has been busy researching the childcare and early education landscape, identifying and addressing gaps in the local childcare ecosystem, and both collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data in order to identify and prioritize the top ECE issues impacting the four-county area. As a result, a community- and data-driven childcare and early education action plan will outline the strategies to address the top priorities, as well as partners, knowledge, and resources necessary to move into the next phase of strategy implementation.

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

Increase public-private partnerships to support the child care system.
Support existing child care providers to ensure sustainability, and then focus on increasing the supply of quality infant-toddler care.
Ensure child care providers and families are accessing and utilizing all currently available supports and resources.
Increase supportive policies and public investment in child care at all levels.

The Research

Child Care Is A Workforce Issue

46%

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

93%

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 shifts run from 6pm-6am and 6am-6pm. For those working nights, there is no overnight care available. For those working days, they would not be able to pick a child up until 6:30pm. Facilities are closed by then.”

– Employer

Quotes and survey data are drawn from a non-representative convenience sample of Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair County residents, ECE Directors and Owners in the four counties, and senior leaders of employers in the region.

Families Lack Access to Child Care

The number of infants and toddlers who need care is higher than the number of available slots, with 1,220 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 availability was a big stressor for me. Even though my childcare is through the school district, they have a waitlist and you need to notify them for a spot as soon as you find out you’re expecting. A challenge we have faced since putting our child in daycare is the quality. Their space is small and their staff is less educated than I would like.”

-West Central Region Parent

Infant & Toddler (Birth-2 Years)

28%

Kids Served

1,690 Kids
470 Slots

Pre-Kindergarten (4-5 Years)

100%

Kids Served

591 Kids
622 Slots

Other Preschool (3-5 Years)

100%

Kids Served

1,771 Kids
1,816 Slots

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 $51,404, 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

(Cedar, Henry, St Clair counties)

27%

% income parents pay for Infant & Toddler Care
( Polk County )

28%

% income parents pay for Preschool
(Cedar, Henry, St Clair counties)

20%

% income parents pay for Preschool
( Polk County )

20%

* 7% affordability threshhold

Median Household Income (MHI)
(Cedar, Henry, Polk, St Clair counties)

$ 51,404

Infant & Toddler parent tuition (Cedar, Henry, St Clair counties)

$ 13,780

Infant & Toddler parent tuition
( Polk County )

$14,300

Preschool parent tuition
(Cedar, Henry, St Clair counties )

$10,400

Preschool parent tuition
( Polk County )

$10,400

Affordable Cost Level ( 7% MHI )

$ 3,598

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: $21,728

Infant & Toddler
(Cedar, Henry, Polk, St Clair counties)

$3,598

$18,130

Total Cost: $12,717

Preschool
(Cedar, Henry, Polk, St Clair counties)

$3,598

$9,119

Investment Gap

Affordable Cost for Parents

“My biggest challenge is hiring quality candidates and paying them. Our staff was started at $14/hour before minimum wage went up, which was enticing. Now I have to raise rates to pay staff $15/hour, which will be minimum wage soon, which is not enticing. I’m not able to offer $16 or $17/hour to attract the right candidates with the experience I am looking for.”

– Provider in West Central Region

REACH OUT

Contact New Growth Women’s Business Center to learn more about this exciting work and hear about the leaders, organizations, and advocates engaged across Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair Counties.

Patty Cantrell, Outreach and Development Director, New Growth
pcantrell@newgrowthmo.org

Community planning, research, and facilitation by Child Care Leadership Lab; in addition to supply building initiative co-design and implementation with community partners. Data compiled and presented by IFF in partnership with Kids Win Missouri. Thank you to our partner New Growth Women’s Business Center. We also thank our funding partners Children’s Trust Fund and Upward Momentum.

WCRegion_CmtySlides_ALL_PDF

West Central Region