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Missouri

Missouri, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.

State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.

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2024 State Early Childhood Policy Environment and Progress

Early Childhood Landscape:

Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children. 

Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining

Approximately 40% (259,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 44% (287,000) in 2017.1

Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.2

Advocacy Landscape:

State General Fund Appropriations: Declining 

In 2024, Missouri’s governor signed the 20 bills that comprise the state’s fiscal 2025 budget. The budget calls for $51.17 billion in total spending after recommended vetoes, a 3.3 percent decrease from fiscal 2024. Fiscal 2025 general revenue spending is estimated at $15.08 billion (a 3.8 percent decrease), federal funds $24.20 billion (a 1.6 percent decrease), and other funds $11.89 billion (a 6.1 percent decrease). When signing the appropriation bills, the governor issued 173 line-item vetoes, totaling $1 billion. As of July 1, 2024, Missouri is expected to have a nearly $6 billion fund balance; however, more than 66 percent of Missouri’s fund balance has already been obligated for fiscal 2025. Net general fund revenue collections are projected at $13.16 billion, a 0.2 percent increase over the revised forecast for fiscal 2024.3

Largest Per Capita Revenue Sources (after federal transfers) (FY 2021):4

        • Charges: $1,367 per capita
        • Property Taxes: $1,333 per capita

Charges are public payments connected with a specific government service, such as tuition paid to a state university, payments to a public hospital, or highway tolls. Missouri uses all major state and local taxes.

State Budget Rules:4

Missouri uses an annual budget. The legislature is not required to pass a balanced budget, nor is the governor required to sign one. Deficits may be carried over into the following year. However, the governor must submit a balanced budget, and own-source revenue and debt must meet or exceed expenditures. Missouri further limits annual revenue growth with a budget rule based on personal income growth. This is a binding rule and requires a vote of the people to override it. A two-thirds supermajority is also required for legislation that raises taxes. The state also limits total authorized debt incurred by the state.

Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood: Yes

The Missouri Preschool Program offers five-year renewable grants to establish or expand early learning programs. The program receives funding from a portion of the annual Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement funds ($35 million a year).

Political Alignment: Aligned Republican

During the 2024 session, the state’s Senate and House were both Republican controlled. The state’s Governor was also a Republican.5

Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:6  Six

    • Legislature-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – A constitutional amendment that appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
    • Voter-Initiated Constitutional Amendments – An amendment to a state’s constitution that comes about through the initiative process.
    • Legislature-Initiated State Statutes – Appears on a state’s ballot as a ballot measure because the state legislature in that state voted to put it before the voters.
    • Voter-Initiated State Statute – Earns a spot on the ballot when sponsors collect signatures according to the laws governing the initiative process in Missouri.
    • Veto Referenda – When citizens of Missouri disagree with a statute or legislative bill enacted by the state legislature, they can collect signatures to force the issue to a vote. If enough signatures are collected, the bill is placed on the statewide ballot.
    • Automatic Ballot Referrals – In Missouri, by law, every twenty years the question of whether to hold a constitutional convention appears on the ballot.

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:7

2024 Policy Progress:

Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:8

HB 2002 increased child care subsidies to the 100th percentile for infants and toddlers, as well as the 65th percentile for preschool and school age children. This is a significant increase from the 58th percentile in FY 2024 and the 21st-25th percentile in FY 2023.

SB 1111 creates a prescribed pediatric extended care facility license issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services. This license will allow children with medical needs requiring a nurse for at least 4 hours a day to receive their services at an appropriate child care facility. Currently, Medicaid will cover nursing care for these children only at their homes.

Funding was appropriated for the creation of a pilot program to provide free legal support for informal kinship providers in the Kansas City area.

An administrative rule change updates certification requirements of public pre-k teachers. The rule had required a lead pre-k teacher to have a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Special Education. This was amended, allowing a lead pre-k teacher to have (1) an associate’s degree in early childhood education or child development; (2) An associate’s degree in any field with 18hrs of college credit in ECE or child development, or (3) 60 college credit hours with a minimum of 24 hrs in ECE or child development. A teacher meeting one of these qualifications must either be working toward a bachelor’s degree or teach under the supervision and mentorship of a certified ECE or ECSE teacher. This allows more child care facilities to participate in state funded pre-k programs.

In appropriation bill HB 2005, advocates secured $900,000 in continued funding for a grant to a nonprofit organization with a statewide service area and mission that encompasses supporting families’ access to quality childcare and early education. The funds will be used to develop and implement community plans to improve access to quality child care and early education in conjunction with local stakeholders, with priority given to rural communities. 

Ongoing Grantee Areas of Advocacy:

Our lead ally in Missouri, Kids Win Missouri, is a non-partisan, statewide coalition working to support child well-being. Through education, collaboration and advocacy, the organization advances policies and system changes on issues including early childhood development, education, health, child safety and family economic security.

Kids Win Missouri is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework

Early Care and Education

Preschool and Pre-K

K-3rd Grade

Child Care

Child Care Workforce

Child and
Maternal Health

Infant & Child Health

Maternal Health

Early Intervention (Age 0-3)

Family
Supports

Family Economic Security

Home Visiting

Early Childhood Infrastructure

Financing

Click here, here and here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.

RECENT ADVOCACY SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

1 Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024. 

2 National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, March 2023, NCCP analysis of ACS 1-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2021.

3 National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2025.

4 Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, June 2024.

5 National Conference of State Legislatures, 2024 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, April 29, 2024.

6 Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved July, 2024.

7 Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.

8 Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2024; and 2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, July, 2024. 

More State Policy Data:

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More State Demographic Data:

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