Missouri Child Care Works Recognized as a National Workforce Model

Missouri Child Care Works, a statewide partnership between Child Care Aware® of Missouri and Kids Win Missouri, has been recognized as an advanced “Tri-Share 2.0” model in a new report from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, From Pilot to Policy: Lessons Learned from Five Tri-Share Models. The report examines shared-cost child care strategies across five states and highlights Missouri as a model for scaling successful pilot programs into sustainable workforce policy. This recognition follows recent national coverage in The Washington Post, which featured Child Care Works as an innovative approach to tackling the child care shortage and supporting working families.

Why This Matters to Business

Traditional child care subsidies primarily serve low-income families, leaving many working employees in what’s often called the “subsidy gap.” These employees earn too much to qualify for public assistance but still struggle to afford market-rate care. The result: workforce instability, higher turnover, and reduced participation in the labor market.

Missouri Child Care Works helps bridge this gap through a shared-cost model aligning employers, families, and public or philanthropic partners. Employer participation is voluntary, costs are predictable, and centralized administration simplifies management. Participating employers can also leverage federal tax incentives, such as the Employer Provided Child Care Credit (26 U.S. Code § 45F), to offset qualifying contributions.

From Recognition to Workforce Strategy

The national report affirms what Missouri businesses are already seeing firsthand: shared-cost child care is both a workforce and economic development strategy. When child care is stable and affordable, recruitment strengthens, retention improves, and productivity stabilizes.

Missouri Child Care Works is one key part of this effort. Through Child Care Keeps Missouri Working℠, we collaborate with businesses to analyze regional data, identify workforce gaps, and design customized child care strategies. Solutions range from aligning existing benefits and navigating subsidy options to implementing advanced cost-sharing models and investing in new capacity.

Whether your organization seeks small improvements or transformative workforce solutions, we can help address recruitment and retention challenges through practical, scalable child care strategies.

To learn how Child Care Works or other innovative workforce child care solutions can support your business, contact us at cckmw@mochildcareaware.org.

Explore our other Child Care Aware® of Missouri resources:

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Missouri Office of Childhood Updates
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