The Missouri Champion of Children Coalition of child advocates, business groups, law enforcement, healthcare advocates and community leaders support making child care and early education a top priority for the state, just as Governor Parson did in last week’s State of the State address. In his speech, Parson proposed $56 million to expand pre-K, $78 million to support low-income, working families in accessing child care and also proposed tax credit programs to support employers who provide child care assistance to employees as well as child care providers.
In his speech, Parson said, “There is a clear need to do better when it comes to early childhood. Let’s meet this moment for Missouri kids, families, and businesses.”
“Governor Parson is right: there is no better investment for our state than in our kids and no better time than now,” said Brian Schmidt, Executive Director of Kids Win Missouri. “We’re thrilled to see Governor Parson make child care and early education a priority in his budget.”
Formed in 2022, the Missouri Champion of Children Coalition includes: Kids Win Missouri, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Trust Fund, United WE, Aligned, American Academy of Pediatrics- Missouri Chapter, Children’s Defense Fund, Council for a Strong America, and community leaders across Missouri.
“Businesses across Missouri are struggling to find workers, and it’s clear that the state’s growing child care crisis is at the center of the problem,” said Dan Mehan, President & CEO of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “This is an urgent issue, and we are grateful that the governor and state lawmakers are focused on working with the business community to identify solutions for this complex problem.”
“Providing access to child care and early education is an investment in building safer communities,” said Police Chief Paul Williams of Springfield. “As a former Sheriff, Governor Parson knows what it takes to make our communities safer and focusing on the earliest years of children’s lives will help us do that.”
Learn more about the movement to support child care and early childhood at MoChampionofChildren.com.
0 Comments