Lawmakers to hear from rural west central Missouri families, businesses
On September 24 in Clinton, Missouri, parents, providers, and employers from Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties will sit down with invited state lawmakers to share experiences, highlight urgent needs, and discuss opportunities for real solutions and next steps to address the lack of affordable, accessible child care in rural west central Missouri.
WHAT: Child Care Solutions – Legislative Roundtable
WHO: New Growth Women’s Business Center and the West Central Missouri Early Childhood Education Community Planning Team
WHEN: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, September, 24, 2025 (light lunch provided)
WHERE: Rotary Club Building, 200 W. Franklin St., Clinton, MO 64735
WHY: West central Missouri is a child care desert. Local leaders are organizing for action.
- Child care slots are available for only 28% of infants and toddlers in Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties.
- High cost (greater than college tuition) forces families to leave the workforce or struggle to patch together options.
- The four-county cost to employers and tax revenue in the 4-county area amounts to $12.6 million annually.
Read more at: https://www.newgrowthmo.org/post/local-research-confirms-child-care-reality-spurs-innovation-and-action
Or at https://www.newgrowthmo.org/category/business-of-child-care
For more information, contact: Patty Cantrell, Project Manager, pcantrell@newgrowthmo.org, 660-476-2175 ext. 6500.
