Making Child Care More Affordable, Together
Investing Now in Brighter Futures
A regional implementation plan to achieve universal access to affordable, high-quality child care across St. Louis City and County.
This plan outlines clear, actionable steps to strengthen early childhood education—supporting children’s development, helping families thrive, stabilizing early educators, and strengthening the region’s workforce and economy.
Why Early Childhood Education Matters
High-quality early childhood education strengthens nearly every corner of our community: helping children thrive, supporting working families, and growing the regional economy.
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$270 million annually
in lost productivity, business revenue, and tax income from childcare disruptions.
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76% of young children
in St. Louis City and County live in households where all available parents are in the workforce, yet care is unaffordable or unavailable.
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$1.35 billion annually
potentially injected into Missouri’s economy with stronger early childhood education support.
What Brighter Futures Delivers
Investing Now in Brighter Futures is a community-informed roadmap to build a stronger, more coordinated early childhood education system across St. Louis. The vision is simple: regardless of race, income, or ZIP code, families can access affordable, high-quality care they can trust, and childcare providers have the resources and capacity needed to sustain their workforce and provide the level of care our children need and deserve.
Three Actions to Move St. Louis Forward
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Coordinated Governance
Build a unified governance model to align public and private investments, streamline systems, and ensure transparent oversight—captained by the Gateway Early Childhood Alliance as the local implementation lead.
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Sustainable Funding
Launch and scale a hybrid funding model that expands affordability for families through local and state funding and private and philanthropic investment.
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Stronger and Bolder Advocacy
Strengthen early childhood advocacy infrastructure by formalizing provider leadership, coordinating a broad-based coalition, and advancing strategies that build lasting public investment
Leadership
Dr. Jason Purnell, President, James S. McDonnell Foundation, Regional Early Childhood Advisory Committee Co-Chair
Dr. Kelvin Adams, President and CEO, St. Louis Community Foundation, Regional Early Childhood Advisory Committee Co-Chair