child care

Parents around the Kansas City area said it's a challenge finding early education programs that fit their budget, schedules and children's needs.

Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City was waiting on $400,000 in federal subsidies. Educators say the freeze put smaller child care providers in a "heartbreaking" situation.

The federal government told the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that the funds would be paused until "detailed justification" was provided for pending child care payments.

Officials driving a push back to the office cite enhanced customer service and improved collaboration as justification for the changes.

Kansas City Head Start centers will stay open for now, despite prior concerns the federal shutdown would force closures on Nov. 1. Instead, local providers have agreed to take a financial gamble to keep services open.

If the government shutdown extends beyond Nov. 1, more than 65,000 children could be at risk of losing access to Head Start, the federal early-learning program for low-income families. Thousands of Kansas City children would be impacted.

Si el cierre del gobierno federal continúa, el Consejo Regional de Mid-America ha declarado que podría verse obligado a cerrar temporalmente los centros de enseñanza preescolar Head Start que atienden a más de 2,300 niños de la Ciudad de Kansas City a partir del 1 de noviembre.

If the federal government shutdown continues, the Mid-America Regional Council said it may need to temporarily close Head Start centers serving more than 2,300 Kansas City children beginning Nov. 1.

With the cost of child care rising higher than some mortgages, Missouri is providing $2.5 million to Child Care Works, a program aiming to balance the cost between parents, businesses and the state.

Missouri education leaders said complex licensing regulations make the child care field unattractive to prospective providers amid a statewide shortage.

The legislation, which state Rep. Jim Murphy called "a pro-life bill that everybody agrees with," also expands tax credits for maternity homes and diaper banks and creates a "Zero-Cost Adoption Fund."

The bill aims to improve access to child care. But some advocates are concerned about provisions related to vaccines and licensing.