Find help for child care providers and families using TOOTRiS to participate in Missouri’s Child Care Works program, from getting started to receiving benefits and payments.

Less than a year after west central Missouri communities completed a regional Child Care Action Plan, two major pieces of the plan are moving from ideas to implementation: Helping working families afford child care and helping child care businesses start and succeed.

Running a child care program means making countless business decisions, but finding time to work on your business can be one of the biggest challenges of all. The new Child Care Business Accelerator helps Missouri child care owners and directors save time, strengthen their businesses, and focus on the work they love most—caring for children.

Running a child care program means balancing care for children with the daily demands of running a business. A new support program from the New Growth Women’s Business Center aims to help rural Missouri child care programs save time, strengthen operations, and connect with practical tools and resources.

Parents, child care providers, and healthcare professionals understand the challenges facing Missouri families better than anyone. Two statewide fellowship opportunities are now open to help those voices grow into leadership and advocacy.

Employers across west central Missouri have a new opportunity to address one of the biggest workforce challenges: access to affordable, reliable child care.

Looking for meaningful work you can do from home? Start a home-based child care program with support through New Growth Women’s Business Center—and a $2,500 grant opportunity. Apply for free step-by-step support.

On Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. families from across the region are invited to gather in El Dorado Springs for the Kids Care Fair—a free, family-friendly event focused on one of the most urgent issues facing our communities: child care.

Today we celebrate the West Central Early Childhood Education Action Plan—seven strategies to strengthen child care in Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties, with five moving into action in early 2026.

When families can’t find childcare, everything else starts to unravel—jobs, businesses, even small-town stability. In Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties, parents, providers, and employers are coming together to change that by building a shared framework for real, local childcare solutions.

From parents and providers to employers and lawmakers, the call for child care solutions is growing louder. A recent forum hosted by New Growth and Kids Win Missouri put the issue front and center for families and communities across west central Missouri.

Parents, providers, and employers from Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties will sit down with invited state lawmakers to share experiences, highlight urgent needs, and discuss opportunities for real solutions and next steps.