The Missouri House Budget Committee today failed to restore a proposed $51 million cut to the state’s child care subsidy program, leaving the reduction intact as the budget moves to the full House floor. The proposal includes language prohibiting the state from paying providers based on enrollment and on a prospective basis, and eliminates enhancements that provide additional financial support for providers serving children with special needs foster children, or for facilities that meet quality or access benchmarks.
Without these incentives, providers worry they face an impossible choice: absorb the financial loss, reduce services, or stop accepting foster children and children with special needs. Foster parents like Amy Loomis-McDonald in Cape Girardeau also fear that the cuts could discourage families from accepting placements, as child care was a top concern for her family when she welcomed her foster daughter.
“When the Children’s Division called about Kelsey’s placement, the first thing I needed to know was whether we could find child care. I called Christian School for the Young Years and they had one opening that day for a two-year-old. I saw that as a sign from God,” said Amy Loomis-McDonald, a foster parent from Cape Girardeau. “She is now thriving as a kindergartener in Cape Girardeau Public Schools. But if her subsidy hadn’t been available in 2022, we could not have taken on that extra cost. Most foster and kinship families are working families. We take on these children because it is our calling, but without child care subsidy, it would be a barrier we simply could not overcome.”
Changes prioritized by Governor Kehoe and approved by the legislature last year directed the state to pay child care providers based on enrollment rather than attendance, and to pay at the beginning of the month, mirroring private-market payment practices. Providers say these protections are especially critical for foster families, who may miss more child care time due to mandated appointments and parental visits.
While the proposal eliminated the requirement to pay based on enrollment, prospective payments, and the enhancements, Committee Member Betsy Fogle from Springfield offered amendments that were ultimately not adopted to restore funding the cuts and the payment language. Advocates remain confident there are still opportunities to make the changes.
“While we are disappointed with the committee outcome today, there is still time for the House to act, and we are not giving up,” said Brian Schmidt, Executive Director of Kids Win Missouri. “Missouri’s child care subsidy program is already operating at capacity, with 370 families on the waitlist as of this week. The House has an opportunity to restore this investment to the Governor’s recommendation and partner with providers, families, and the Office of Childhood to find smarter, more creative ways to serve as many children as possible. That is the conversation Missouri’s children deserve.”
While child care providers like Dr. Mary Crockett-Smith, owner of the Christian Academy, remain hopeful, they fear the impact of these cuts on the children and families they serve.
“I see every day how critical quality services are for low-income, working families. When child care subsidy is reduced, it doesn’t just make it impossible for providers to have quality teachers,it also forces parents into impossible choices between keeping their jobs and ensuring their children are in safe, educational environments,” said Crockett-Smith. “When child care is cut, parents can’t work, businesses lose employees, and children lose access to early learning opportunities that shape Missouri’s future.”
As the budget moves to the House floor, Kids Win Missouri is urging every member of the Missouri House of Representatives to restore child care subsidy funding to at least the level proposed by the Governor, protect enhancements for children with special needs and children in foster care, reject any cuts that reduce access to care for Missouri’s most vulnerable children, and engage stakeholders and the Office of Childhood in any future discussions about subsidy reform.
“The budget is not final yet,” said Robyn Schelp, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Kids Win Missouri. “The House floor and the Senate both represent opportunities to reverse this cut. Kids Win Missouri and its partners will continue pressing for restoration at every stage for Missouri’s children and families.”
