Day Care

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

An investigation by The Missouri Independent and MuckRock found that despite hundreds of millions in federal pandemic relief money pouring into the state, child care facilities are facing huge staffing shortages and parents are struggling with long waitlists for care.

Child care businesses are struggling to recruit new employees and retain staff. The Missouri chamber is touting its Chamber Benefit Plan, a novel health insurance project, to lower health insurance costs for providers and entice them to offer coverage to their employees.

The mandate will cover 55,000 workers. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order requires day care professionals submit to weekly COVID-19 testing until they are fully vaccinated.

In the coming weeks, some day care facilities are set to reopen their doors after a hiatus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,…