child care

Breastfeeding is more of a challenge for first-time mothers in rural Missouri compared to those in urban and suburban areas, according to a new University of Missouri study.

Last year, 314 foster children resided in hospitals and 85 are currently living in treatment centers out of state. A wide-ranging bill passed by the senate this week could save the state $13 million a year by moving them to facilities in Missouri.

Some child care centers closed and others turned away families during months of missed payments caused by software problems. But Education Commissioner Karla Eslinger said 70% of that backlog has been resolved.

Kehoe highlighted a number of new budget items that seek to reduce the state’s crime rate, including a new state crime lab and more money for local departments. He also reiterated his support for a state board overseeing St. Louis Police, taking away local control from the city.

For the first time since 2018, Missouri lawmakers will work with a new governor. While outgoing Gov. Mike Parson pushed a more budget-focused agenda, Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe already has established policy goals — and a Republican supermajority to accomplish them with.

Many lawmakers are bringing back ideas for another year as bill filing opens ahead of the session that begins on Jan. 8.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is weeks behind in paying subsidies for child care centers and families. Centers already were facing financial issues.

Missouri child care providers began complaining that they were missing months of payments from the state and were close to shuttering. But the state won't meet its goal to clear the backlog by the end of October.

Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Democratic House Leader Crystal Quade are facing off to be Missouri’s next governor, along with third-party candidates Bill Slantz and Paul Lehmann. Here’s where they stand on the major issues in Missouri, including abortion rights, tax cuts, child care and guns.

The backlog, which has left daycare providers on the brink of closure, was originally supposed to be resolved by the end of July. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has largely blamed a contracted vendor.

If the amendment had passed, Missouri legislators could have introduced laws exempting child care providers from paying property taxes.

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, Missouri voters will decide on Amendment 1, which grants the legislature power to exempt childcare facilities from property taxes.