Jefferson City employers join child care program

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new childcare subsidy program helped one Mid-Missouri mother cut her childcare costs by more than half.

Kids Win Missouri oversees the Child Care Works program, which is designed to help families afford childcare while helping employers recruit and retain workers.

The program splits childcare costs among the state, participating employers and employees. Depending on the arrangement, the state and employer can cover up to two-thirds of the cost, with the employee paying the rest.

According to the Child Care Works Missouri website, families with children ages 12 years old and younger and household incomes below the federal poverty level may be eligible for the subsidy.

Brian Schmidt, executive director of Kids Win Missouri, said he experienced the financial strain of childcare costs himself.

“It felt like I was making a payment on a vacation home, but I couldn't afford to take a vacation,” Schmidt said. 

Schmidt said his organization found that parents were struggling to afford childcare while employers faced workforce shortages. He said Child Care Works is designed to address both problems by making care more affordable and helping parents stay in the workforce.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe praised the program during an event at Jefferson City Hall. The program received $2.5 million in its initial year of funding.

Kehoe said Missouri has struggled with childcare shortages for years, with the problem worsening after the COVID-19 pandemic. He said helping parents access affordable care could allow more people to return to work and help businesses fill open positions.

He said the program can help businesses fill workforce shortages by allowing more parents to return to work.

“If this is a tool that helps them fill that workforce gap, put some trained workforce into their companies, that will be the true measure of success,” Kehoe said. 

Haley Johnson works at Stepping Stones Preschool in Jefferson City and has a 3-month-old child. She said she was worried about childcare costs as she prepared to return to work, particularly after learning that many other subsidy programs in Missouri had lengthy waiting lists.

Johnson said Child Care Works reduced her childcare costs by more than half. She said childcare can cost at least $1,000 a month.

“Especially being young and…like, right now I'm trying to buy a house. How would I do that if I'm paying a mortgage for daycare?” Johnson said. 

Jefferson City's 2027 budget includes $30,000 for a city employee childcare benefit through Child Care Works. 

Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater said he fully supports the program and hopes to expand it so more city employees can use the benefit.