Grants help open day care to address growing need for childcare in Cape Girardeau
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – With a growing community, Cape Girardeau is facing a challenge in getting enough childcare facilities in the area.
“They just need day care bad. It’s really bad,” said Sheniqua Sparks, owner/director of Super Kids Day Care in Cape Girardeau.
With summer in full swing, parents are looking for camps, day cares, and sitters for their children wherever they can find them.
United Way of Southeast Missouri is working to put together a team of people in the community who can help improve and identify resources for childcare.
“The need for safe affordable childcare in this community is huge, and it’s not just a need in southeast Missouri,” said
Elizabeth Shelton, executive director for United Way of Southeast Missouri. “This is a nationwide trend.”
Elizabeth Shelton, executive director for United Way of Southeast Missouri. “This is a nationwide trend.”
Because maintaining a healthy workforce is a major concern for so many companies and communities, and childcare availability is a big factor in making it possible for parents to work, there are grant opportunities aimed at increasing reliable childcare options in the community.
Sheniqua Sparks recently received a one of these grants for her new childcare facility, Super Kids Day Care.
“The grant, it actually helped me out a lot, but I still had a lot of struggles trying to get open with the city and then the state rules,” said Sparks. “They both clashed all the time, so it took me about a year and a half to get open.”
These grants come through the new “Office of Childhood” led by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and four other state level organizations.
“And it’s still a lot of families that need care now,” said Sparks. “A lot of families need overnight care, evening care, they need after school care.”
According to the Office of Childhood with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, there are more than 5,000 children under the age of six just in Cape Girardeau alone and of those children more than 4,000 have working parents.
“And yet we only have 24 licensed programs and that includes childcare facilities, in-home family care facilities and group homes,” Shelton said. “So, the capacity is just under 1500 even half of those, more than 4000 children with working parents are looking for childcare. We still have 500 kiddos who have no place to go.”
Through June 30, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is offering grants to those in the community looking to open childcare facilities.
To find out how to apply for these grants, follow the links below.
- The Innovation Start-up Grants for child care providers are open now. Application deadline May 31, 2023. See link https://earlyconnections.mo.gov/innovation-start
- Two new grant programs are opening March 1 for eligible child care providers and businesses and/or community partners who want to work together to expand child care in their local community:
- The innovation expansion grant for current programs working with a business or community partner to support increased access to child care in their community. This will be open through June 2023. https://earlyconnections.mo.gov/innovation-expansion
- The workforce innovation grant for current programs working with a business or community partner to help restore full capacity by providing funding for teachers in child care programs. This will be open through June 2023. https://earlyconnections.mo.gov/workforce-innovation
