SEMO partnership with Bootheel Progress with Partnership to expand childcare access
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
SIKESTON, Mo. (KBSI) — A new childcare partnership in Sikeston is aiming to address a growing shortage that leaders say has been impacting both families and the local workforce.
The effort comes after the Bootheel Progress with Partnership conducted a childcare study, prompted by repeated concerns from employers and residents.
“We recognized that childcare was actually a workforce development issue,” said Marcie Lawson, president and CEO of Bootheel Progress with Partnership.
The study found a significant lack of options in the region, particularly for infants and for care outside traditional working hours.
Around the same time, local entrepreneur Tiffany Harris returned to the area and noticed the same need.
“I was doing a little research and found that childcare was definitely a need here in Sikeston,” Harris said.
Harris, who has a background in business development and experience in the care industry, launched Future Leaders Learning Academy to help fill that gap and serve local families.
Through a partnership with Southeast Missouri State University, the new center will operate inside an existing childcare facility at SEMO’s Sikeston Regional Campus.
The project is supported by a $41,000 state grant awarded Jan. 29, which required local matching funds. Southeast Missouri State University contributed $30,000 in in-kind support, while Bootheel Progress with Partnership and Harris provided additional funding to help ensure the project could move forward quickly.
“There’s a lot of instability that you don’t realize comes with having unreliable childcare,” Lawson said. “The center will provide that reliability and stability.”
The facility is expected to open in early May, with a target date of May 15, and will serve up to 60 families in Sikeston and surrounding communities.
Harris said the center’s hours — from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays only — are based directly on the needs identified in the study.
Leaders say expanding access to childcare could help more people remain in the workforce and reduce strain on families trying to balance work and caregiving.
In a statement, Southeast Missouri State University President Dr. Brad Hodson said, “We’re proud to be part of these communities, we’re going to be fierce advocates for them, and we’re going to find ways to partner that provide benefits for SEMO students and contribute to the economic development of the region.”
Lawson said the project highlights how a community can come together to create solutions that support both families and local businesses.
“If we want to have high-quality jobs, we have to address childcare as a workforce challenge, not just a woman’s challenge,” she said.
