--- title: Missouri Child Care Index 2026 description: Missouri ranks 33rd in the 2026 Childcare Index, facing a significant supply gap and challenges in affordability and workforce support for childcare. image: https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hubfs/Missouri%20Childcare%20Index%202026.png --- [![Child Care Aware of Missouri Logo](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Child%20Care%20Aware%20Logo%20(1).png?width=666&height=414&name=Child%20Care%20Aware%20Logo%20(1).png "Child Care Aware of Missouri Logo")](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication) Open main menu Close main menu [Child Care Keeps Missouri Working℠](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/child-care-keeps-missouri-working) # Missouri Child Care Index 2026 [Child Care Aware® of Missouri](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/author/child-care-aware-of-missouri) [Share this blog post via Email](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EMissouri+Child+Care+Index+2026%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post%3A+https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cckmw-missouri-child-care-index-2026) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cckmw-missouri-child-care-index-2026) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/cckmw-missouri-child-care-index-2026) ![](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/hubfs/Missouri%20Childcare%20Index%202026.png) **Summary: Missouri Childcare Index 2026** by Beverly Research | May 2026 Missouri ranked 33rd of 50 states on the 2026 State of Childcare Index released by Beverly Research, the median of the larger Midwestern states. The state scored 47 out of 100, pulled down by a licensed system that holds 151,860 slots against 293,560 children with potential need, the widest supply gap in the region. **KEY DATA POINTS** - Missouri's Bipartisan Policy Center supply gap is 47 percent — the widest in the Midwest and twenty points worse than the 27 percent national rate; outstate counties have functionally no regulated infant capacity. - Center-based infant care in Missouri averages $14,468 a year, 21.0 percent of the state's $68,920 median household income — essentially identical to the 21.9 percent national share. - State pre-K reaches just 10 percent of 4-year-olds at $4,844 per child — second-lowest in the Midwest after North Dakota; CCDF subsidies cover 25.2 percent of eligible kids. - Missouri childcare workers earn a median $14.33 an hour, equal to 67.4 percent of a $21.27 single-adult living wage — nearly five points above the 62.6 percent national figure. - Kansas City scored 48 (state-leading, ranked 144th nationally); St. Louis 47; Independence 41 — the narrow 7-point spread suggests a relatively flat statewide childcare market. Missouri has no paid family leave program. The supply pressure is acute outside the Kansas City and St. Louis metros: large stretches of central and southern Missouri have functionally no regulated infant capacity, and even the metro suburbs have seen waitlists that extend well past a typical maternity leave. Missouri has chosen subsidies and Head Start over universal pre-K as its primary public-investment vehicle. Missouri's full state report is part of the 2026 State of Childcare Index from Beverly Research, which scores all 50 states and the 250 largest US cities on a 100-point composite across affordability, supply, workforce, family strain, and policy support. Read the full article: [https://beverly.io/research/missouri](https://beverly.io/research/missouri)   --- Explore our other Child Care Aware® of Missouri resources: [Child Care Keeps Missouri Working℠](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/child-care-keeps-missouri-working)[Child Care Health and Wellness](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/child-care-nutrition-and-physical-activity)[Community Data](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/community-data)[Join Our Team](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/join-our-team)[Leadership Development Opportunities](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/leadership-development-opportunities)[Missouri Office of Childhood Updates](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/missouri-office-of-childhood-updates)[Scholarships for Educators](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/scholarships-for-educators)[Show Me Child Care Resources](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/show-me-child-care-resources)[Support Child Care Aware® of Missouri](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/support-child-care-aware)[Resources to Build Your Business](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/resources-to-build-your-business)[Training and Technical Assistance](https://partnerpublication.mochildcareaware.org/partner-publication/tag/training-and-technical-assistance) Visit [https://mochildcareaware.org/](https://mochildcareaware.org/) to learn more.   #### About - Menu Item One - Menu Item Two - Menu Item Three #### Services - Menu Item One - Menu Item Two - Menu Item Three #### News - Menu Item One - Menu Item Two - Menu Item Three Follow us on Facebook Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram