Child Care Crisis: Advocates make final push for $78 million funding proposal from Governor

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Missouri lawmakers have just a few weeks left to make good on the Governor’s proposal. Governor Mike Parson wants to spend millions on our child care crisis.

For almost a year, On Your Side has highlighted the problems and possible solutions to help more families get access to good child care.

Whether you have kids or not, it’s a problem that impacts all of us. It’s part of the worker shortage. Parents stay home with their kids because they cannot find or cannot afford child care.

Child advocates say it starts by investing now. Not babysitting, but good quality child care for all Missouri kids.

“It’s nutrition. It’s education. It’s physical activity and structure for them. It improves outcomes. That will pay in the future as far as their behavior looks like,” said Jacob Shellabarger, Audrain County Prosecutor.

The plan is to invest $78 million dollars to help our child care crisis. That means tax credits for child care providers, increase child care subsidy rates for parents and better pay for child care workers. There are plans to expand pre-kindergarten options for low-income children.

Early this week we told you nearly one-quarter of Springfield kids were not prepared for kindergarten.

“That’s a significant gap we can close if we put some money into it,” said Paul Williams, Springfield Police Chief.

“We see so many families struggle to afford tuition and find quality child care. A lot of times we have to turn families away because our spots are all full. We don’t have places to refer them to because spaces are limited,” said Liz Hahn with Lighthouse Child and Family Development Center.

Leaders with Council for a Strong America, Mission Readiness and Fight Crime, and Invest in Kids gathered for a final push to get this passed. The matter passed the House and moves onto the Senate.

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