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MARYVILLE

KXCV-KRNW


News Brief

May 16, 2025

Lack of child care in Missouri presents numerous challenges for families

A new report from the University of Missouri Extension shows a 1.15 billion dollar loss due to Missouri's child care crisis.

Missouri University Extension Specialist Luke Dietterle, says the crisis is costing employers 951 million dollars.

"When we think about folks having to leave the workforce due to child care issues, that effectively means that businesses are on the hook for close to one billion dollars. That is due to workers either being absent from the job or leaving the workforce enritrely.", says Dietterle. 

Dietterle adds another 194 million dollars is lost in tax revenue that would have supported state and local economies. He says in addition to the dollars lost, the lack of child care in the state presents numerous challenges for families.
The study found there are only 4.6 child care slots available for every 10 children until the age of 5. Those who find child care are then faced with the issue of affordability.

"From finding care for your child to being able to afford care for your child. It is very expensive, it is roughly 14% of median income in Missouri and a family should be paying less than 10%.", says Dietterle. 

Dietterle says there are signs of progress. Missouri's child care workforce has rebounded from the pandemic disruption and nearly half of Missouri counties reported increased child care capacity this year.