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Expand Child Care Access

Why Is This Important?

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for child care as a work support.  Without child care services for elementary aged children and younger, many families were left unable to work or were forced into a difficult balancing act between working and ensuring the safety and supervision of their children.  Even before the pandemic, families faced rising child care costs ranging from $11 to $43 per day, depending on the child's age and the child care setting.  Families also face a scarcity of available child care slots in their communities.  In 2019, there were nearly 22,500 children under age 5 in CMCA's service area, and less than 5,500 of them attended public preschools.  Existing private child care programs simply do not have the capacity to meet the demand for additional child care slots.  Employers also recognize the urgent need for child care services.  Approximately 17% of Missouri employers cited lack of child care access as a barrier to expanding employment. 

 

Data Sources:

1. Missouri Kids Count. (2021). Area vs. Year by Measure, 2019.

2. U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). 2019: ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP05.

3. U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). 2019: ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP02.

4. Missouri Economic Research & Information Center. (2021). Missouri Workforce 2020 Employer Survey.

How We Impact

Head Start provides comprehensive child development and family support services to young children and their families, including health, mental health, nutrition, and education services.  By providing classroom-based child care services, families are able to work or attend school while their child receives developmentally appropriate education services to prepare them for school.  CMCA's Head Start program serves 11 counties across mid-Missouri.

The Missouri Women's Business Center provides resources, support, and networks for women seeking to grow or start their own businesses.  MoWBC is dedicated to providing small business development assistance to aspiring women, and offers a specific business curriculum for those interested in starting or expanding their own child care business.  

Additionally, CMCA networks with other child care programs and related businesses, particularly in Boone County.  This allows us to learn more about the issues faced by child care providers and help distribute information and resources to the child care community.

Interested in helping CMCA make an impact?  Click here to learn more.

Action Plan

FY22 Quarter 1 Updates

Key Updates:  

  • Early Childhood Director provided links for childcare business research: https://mochildcareaware.org/starting-or-expanding-your-child-care-business/ and https://dese.mo.gov/childhood.

  • Training coordinator has been hired. Still need to hire Child Care business coordinator.

  • Developed Child Care Provider Recruitment group in Boone County

On Target?  

Challenges:  Several action items have been pushed back to FY22 due to COVID impacts and the effects on staffing & employment shortages.

Strengths:  

Changes needed?  

Measures

Current Actual Value
Current Target Value

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Scorecard Container Measure Action Actual Value Target Value Tag S A m/d/yy m/d/yyyy