JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The State of Missouri continues to experience a child care crisis, but the governor-elect said he will make finding a solution a priority.
According to Missouri’s business community, the state is losing out on more than a billion dollars due to a lack of child care. Of Missouri’s 114 counties, 94 of them are in a child care desert, causing employees to leave voluntarily to take care of their kids.
Over the summer, Gov. Mike Parson said it’s a problem the next governor will have to deal with.
“I won’t be here next year, but these legislators will, and it has to be a priority of the state of Missouri to be able to take care of our kids,” Parson said in July.
Over the course of two years, the state has lost 1,100 child care providers, leaving some counties without a facility.
“We know as a state we lose out on over $1.35 billion annually because of child care shortages,” Missouri Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Kara Corches said. “If a parent cannot go to work, whether it’s just for the day that their child care provider doesn’t have enough teachers to be able to keep the rooms open, they can’t go to work; they don’t earn wages. You pay taxes on wages, so that is a direct loss to the state.”