United for Childcare at Child Advocacy Day

On March 6th, United Way of Southeast Missouri joined forces with other nonprofit organizations in the area, including Thrive Birth to 5, Everyday Dads, and the Missouri Mentoring Partnership, to participate in Child Advocacy Day in Jefferson City.

Child Advocacy Day brought together legislators, parents, childcare providers, and nonprofits across Missouri to discuss ways to solve the childcare crisis in our communities. Approximately 7 out of 10 children in Southeast Missouri (~7,349*) do not have access to licensed childcare, with waiting lists of one to two years. We had the opportunity to meet with local representatives John Voss, Barry Hovis, Rick Francis, and Senator Holly Rehder’s Chief of Staff to discuss the childcare issues affecting Southeast Missouri and how the community is coming together to solve this problem.

United Way of Southeast Missouri is committed to promoting self-sufficiency and removing obstacles to economic mobility. Research gathered from employers, employees, social service agencies, and the community has led us to focus on two main initiatives: childcare and transportation. Both are fundamental needs for working parents. Reliable transportation and safe, affordable childcare are critical to maintaining steady employment and supporting our economy.

Uniting as a Community to Solve Our Childcare Crisis

At the end of 2023, UWSEMO launched United We Work, a free transportation program to get new and entry-level employees to and from work. In 2024, we will utilize our AmeriCorps Planning Grant to collaborate with childcare providers, families, local government, area nonprofits, local businesses, and community leaders. Our goal is to collect data, evaluate economic mobility obstacles, explore effective solutions in similar communities, and create a 2025 AmeriCorps program. This initiative will bring more childcare providers to Southeast Missouri and give existing providers additional support and resources.

The community’s involvement, voice, and buy-in are essential in solving the complex childcare challenges in our area. To initiate the conversation, we have created a Childcare Coalition comprising community leaders and organizations passionate about changing the childcare landscape in Southeast Missouri.

The Coalition’s first focus is to research potential program designs and gather crucial data to measure program impact. If you are interested in joining our Childcare Coalition, please contact Matthew Ellison, AmeriCorps Program Director, by emailing matt.ellison@unitedwayofsemo.org or calling 573-334-9634.

We also invite you to join the Facebook group "United for Childcare – Southeast Missouri." This group is a platform for individuals who share a common interest in childcare to connect and collaborate. United, we can pool our resources, ideas, and efforts to bring about real change to the childcare landscape in Southeast Missouri.