Missouri’s Hannibal. In order to address the ongoing child care shortages in northeast Missouri, families, early education advocates, and economic development leaders in Marion and Ralls counties are pleading with Governor Mike Kehoe to authorize funding for a childcare cost-sharing exchange, an inventive public-private partnership.
Supported by a $5 million state appropriation, the measure can proceed with just the governor’s signature. According to local authorities, the timing is critical for the area, which is facing severe early childhood care service shortfalls.
We have excellent pre-K programs, but families with early preschoolers, toddlers, and infants have many fewer options, according to a press release from Maria Kuhns, executive director of the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council. With a cost-sharing model that benefits employers, providers, and families, this strategy offers us a focused method to increase care for the age groups most in need.
According to a regional evaluation by the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council, there is an unmet need for over 300 placements for children aged three to five and a shortage of over 700 baby and toddler care slots across the two counties. Child care providers still struggle to break even or offer competitive wages to retain staff, even though families spend an average of 11% of their household income on child care.
According to United Way of the Mark Twain Area executive director Denise Damron, who is herself a parent of children enrolled in childcare, the economics of childcare just don’t add up for families or providers. In order to maintain access to high-quality care throughout Northeast Missouri, this cost-sharing model helps sustain programs and distributes responsibilities more fairly.
In order to increase the affordability and dependability of care, the cost-sharing model would link employer and family payments with state support. It is intended to increase provider sustainability and assist working families, particularly those who are not eligible for subsidies yet cannot afford market-rate child care.
An extensive evaluation of the early childhood system has been started in Marion and Ralls counties, setting the stage for quick implementation when Kehoe gives the all-clear.
