Missouri has about 3,000 childcare providers and that’s not even close to meeting the demand. According to a new University of Missouri study, there are nearly three times as many children, aged six or under, than there are childcare openings.
The study says the licensing process is getting in the way of early childhood education centers offering quality services. In a virtual news conference, MU researcher Rachel Dicke said the study found that the most time-consuming and costly regulations involve renovations to meet fire and sanitation requirements.
“It can be frustrating for providers when rules change and things that were acceptable are no longer acceptable, or when different inspectors interpret the same rules differently,” she said.
The study says 85% of Missouri’s counties lack enough childcare options. The childcare startup costs also impact the wage that providers can give its workers.
MU Researcher Emily Johnson said these challenges trickle down to hiring, retaining staff, and the number of childcare openings.
“Seventy-one percent of Missouri families have children under six, and all parents working,” said Johnson. “This creates an enormous need for quality, affordable childcare, and the COVID-19 pandemic threw an already stressed system into crisis.”
The study makes several recommendations, including local mentoring networks to support childcare entrepreneurs, as well as regional and local communication channels for providers to get off the ground. In addition, it recommends online information for providers to access local licensing requirements and creating a team of inspectors to guide providers through the initial licensing process.
Wendy Doyle, president and CEO of advocacy group United Women’s Empowerment, said her organization commissioned the study.
“There is no magic wand and no one solution to solve the childcare challenge,” said Doyle. “And so, that’s the focus of this research, is to bring a unique perspective to it, again, keeping the health and safety at the forefront of all of our decision making, but looking at what we can do to potentially ease the burden for childcare providers.”
To view the study, click here.
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