Child Care

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is weeks behind in paying subsidies for child care centers and families. Centers already were facing financial issues.

There are 46% more slots available this school year for before care, and 15% more available for after care for the 42 elementary schools in St. Louis Public Schools.

The amendment would open the way for the General Assembly to exempt child care businesses from property taxes in response to a chronic shortage.

Some Missouri day care centers have been forced to shutter as state subsidy payments remain backlogged due to glitches in a new system.

The set of tax credits, which Gov. Mike Parson mentioned during his State of the State address, gained broad bipartisan support. It stalled in the Senate last session.

As more daycare operators leave the field for better-paying jobs, families have fewer child care options, says the union that represents 15,000 providers in Illinois.

Expanding child care access and making it harder to amend Missouri’s constitution through ballot initiatives are among the priorities for the Republican-led legislature.

Missouri’s Board of Education changed a rule this week that had prevented many child care providers from accessing the $26 million in grant funding allocated by lawmakers this year.

The increased reimbursement rate will go to child care providers who accept a subsidy to increase access for low-income and foster families.

Two-income households are opting to make due with a single salary, but not everyone can afford that luxury. What does that mean for our collective futures?