Child Care: Local Economic Impact
Who pays the cost when west central Missouri families are unable to find quality child care?
A new Missouri study puts it into dollars and cents. A new west central Missouri team of community leaders is paying attention and taking action.
Children first
Children feel the lack of quality early learning and care most. High quality early child care (0-5) is essential for healthy development.
Parents fall through the cracks when concern and care for their children prevents them, due to lack of high-quality child care, from participating fully in the workforce.
“When quality childcare is out of reach, parents are forced into heartbreaking decisions,” said Jennifer Caldwell, Parents as Teachers Program Supervisor at El Dorado Springs R-2 Schools. “Do they trust a stranger from a Facebook ad or sacrifice their job to stay home?”
Dollars and Cents
One measure of these costs is how much businesses and local and state governments lose as a result of the tough decisions that local residents, as employees and taxpayers, must make.
A new statewide study in a recent report from from University of Missouri Extension puts the total cost of Missouri’s child care challenges at $1.14 billion annually.
Of this total, businesses across the state incur an estimated $951 million in lost productivity and employee turnover costs due to child care related work disruptions. The resulting wage losses among affected parents lead to a $194 million reduction in state and local tax revenues.
The study provides estimated costs county by county. The four counties involved in the west central Missouri child care planning effort lose an estimated $12.6 million annually through business disruptions and tax revenue losses.
West Central MO takes action
West central Missouri communities are coming together to address child care challenges in Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties.
They have direct experience with these challenges and real hope for change.
“I’ve seen firsthand how the lack of accessible and affordable childcare in Polk County creates real barriers to attracting and retaining working parents for quality jobs in our area,” said Leon Wirth, Vice President for Advancement at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar and member of the county’s Economic Development Partnership Board.
“This is not just a workforce challenge—it’s a community opportunity. I’m confident that expanding affordable, quality childcare options would strengthen our region’s workforce, including our dedicated faculty and staff at SBU.”
Next Steps
The 4-county west central Missouri team recently conducted surveys to gather on-the-ground information and perspective from parents, employers, and childcare providers. The team will in July take a closeup look at what the surveys showed.
The next step will then be to prioritize issues that rise up from the data. The group will also explore strategies for addressing them.
For more information,
Contact project coordinator Patty Cantrell at wbcinfo@newgrowthmo.org.
Watch for updates online at New Growth Business of Child Care page and over New Growth social media channels.
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