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.

Our action plan focuses both on supporting existing community child care providers and assisting new providers in establishing their own child care businesses.  As funding opportunities become available, we also intend to expand our own Head Start program in counties experiencing the most need.  We're also exploring alternatives such as on-site child care collaborations with local employers in order to support families so that they can work or attend school.

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