Community agencies unite to tackle childcare shortage in Marion, Ralls counties

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Families and childcare providers have long faced challenges in accessing and sustaining quality childcare, but partners in Hannibal and Palmyra came together to take action in 2014.

Through a collaboration with Kids Win Missouri, the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council (HREDC) partnered with United Way, Douglass Community Services, childcare providers, nonprofit leaders and employers to conduct a childcare needs assessment for Marion and Ralls Counties. The assessment combined quantitative data with surveys of parents, providers and employers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the childcare landscape in the region.

Using census and provider data, the Kids Win Missouri analysis estimated a significant childcare gap:

• Infant to two-year-olds: Of 935 children in this age group, only 234 registered slots were available, leaving a shortfall of 719 slots.
• Three to five-year-olds: With 969 children seeking care and only 647 available slots, there was a shortfall of 322 slots.

Additionally, surveys from 96 local parents and 11 employers reinforced the quantitative findings, highlighting key concerns:

• Limited availability and long waitlists for childcare.
• Parents make hard tradeoffs to secure care.
• High costs associated with enrollment.
• Employers experience the shortage when employees take time off, trade shifts, or in some cases terminate their employment to fill childcare gaps.

The childcare needs assessment committee reconvened in November to develop a strategy for addressing these challenges, prioritizing three objectives:

• Expanding access to high-quality, affordable infant-toddler care.
• Strengthening and supporting the childcare workforce.
• Engaging business, civic, and philanthropic communities to sustain and advance these efforts.

Building on these priorities, HREDC, United Way, Douglass Community Services and community partners are working with Kids Win Missouri on four initiatives in 2025:

• Community & Policy Leadership Tours to increase awareness of regional early childcare providers.
• Infant-Toddler Expansion Cohort, providing resources to help existing providers grow and strengthen services.
• Child Care Exchange Community of Practice, exploring innovative models for increasing childcare slots.
• Child Care Advocacy, Policy Work & Strategic Planning, engaging at the state level through Kids Win Missouri.

Kids Win Missouri, United Way and Douglass Community Services recenty co-hosted a “Lunch with Legislators” event, allowing parents to share their childcare experiences directly with state representatives Louis Riggs (Marion and Ralls counties) and Kent Haden (Callaway, Monroe and Audrain counties). Haden even shared his personal challenge, noting he had to leave quickly after the meeting to pick up his grandchild due to childcare limitations.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe addressed the childcare crisis in his first State of the State Address, announcing several initiatives:

• Regulatory Reform: An executive order directing the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood to rewrite childcare regulations, making them clearer and more navigable.
• Employer-Childcare Partnerships: A $10 million grant program to support collaborations between employers, community partners, and providers to expand childcare access.
• Subsidy Payment Reforms: Beginning in 2026, childcare providers will receive state subsidy payments at the start of each month based on enrollment rather than attendance, ensuring more reliable funding.

HREDC and United Way will explore employer-provider partnership models aligned with these state initiatives while seeking local providers interested in expanding infant and toddler care.

For more information about the 2024 Childcare Needs Assessment or any of these initiatives, contact:

• Maria Kuhns, executive director, Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council – (573) 221-1033.
• Denise Damron, executive director, United Way of Mark Twain Area – (573) 221- 2761.