Families benefit from significantly reduced child care costs, gaining access to quality child care options that might otherwise be unaffordable, which enables greater ability to maintain employment and pursue career advancement.
Employers gain enhanced recruitment capabilities in competitive labor markets, improved employee retention through practical family support, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity from employees with stable child care.
Child care providers receive stable, reliable funding streams that support business sustainability, the ability to maintain existing child care slots with consistent financial backing, and opportunities to expand services and create additional slots.
Missouri Child Care Works implements innovative, community-based programming designed to make quality child care more accessible and affordable for working families across the state. Through collaborative funding models, Missouri Child Care Works creates a sustainable pathway to quality child care by facilitating the sharing of child care costs among multiple stakeholders.
At the heart of the program are community organizations that coordinate resources from the public sector, philanthropy, families, and employers. Partners contribute toward the cost of child care, significantly reducing the financial burden on families while ensuring stable funding for child care providers.
American families continue to struggle to afford child care. In a 2026 national poll conducted on behalf of First Five Years Fund, 80% of voters said working parents’ ability to find and afford child care is in a “state of crisis” or a “major problem.”
Nicci Rexroat, owner of A Place To Grow pre-kindergarten center, has worked in child care for 19 years, and she’s beginning to believe most of Missouri has become a child care desert. “You know, I have families calling me every day looking for spots, and
For Scarlett Loomas of Sikeston, the logistics of obtaining day care for her children were half the battle. She would drive southeast for 30 minutes each morning to East Prairie in Mississippi County to drop her kids off at child care. Then she would drive
*Numbers as of 4/2025
Missouri faces a severe child care crisis that is dramatically impacting families, businesses, and the state’s economy. According to a Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry study, a staggering $1.35 billion in economic activity is lost annually due to insufficient child care options. Perhaps most alarming is that 97% of Missouri counties (112 out of 115) qualify as child care deserts for infants and toddlers, leaving families with young children in desperate situations and forcing difficult choices between work and family care responsibilities. This widespread shortage not only strains family resources but creates ripple effects throughout the state’s economy and workforce stability.
