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Big Changes Ahead for Employer Child Care Tax Credits
Child care is no longer just a family issue. It is a workforce issue. Across the political spectrum, there is growing recognition that the lack of affordable, reliable care is holding back both parents and employers. In the U.S. mixed-delivery…
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Investing Early: Missouri Districts Putting Pre-K Policy into Practice
Investing Early: Missouri Districts Putting Pre-K Policy into Practice shows what early childhood policy looks like when it’s implemented well — and what it unlocks for kids, families, and communities. The report highlights how Missouri’s pre-K investments (including foundation formula access,…
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Missouri’s FY 2026 Budget
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has officially signed the state’s $50.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026, including $15.4 billion in general revenue spending. While the budget includes significant new investments in child care and education, Governor Kehoe also issued $300 million in line-item vetoes, signaling a cautious approach as…
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Update – July 2025
This month’s highlights: Top News — Congress passes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, ushering in major tax changes for child care, K–12 education, and workforce training. Missouri Update — The School Funding Modernization Task Force examines local property wealth disparities and begins working group…
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Aligned Case Study: Marquand-Zion R-VI
In one of Missouri’s smallest and most rural districts, Marquand-Zion R-VI is delivering a high-quality pre-K experience for children facing steep barriers to school readiness, often with limited access to child care, transportation, or early learning supports. With help from…
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Aligned Case Study: Stanberry R-II
Stanberry R-II shows what’s possible when small districts have stable support to sustain and strengthen preschool. Using the Missouri Quality Pre-K (MOQPK) grant, the district reduced pressure on local dollars, reinforced early readiness, and built stronger connections with families through regular engagement…
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Aligned Case Study: Branson R-IV
Branson R-IV has built one of the region’s most expansive and inclusive early learning programs — now serving more than 200 children across 11 preschool classrooms. By braiding Missouri Quality Pre-K (MOQPK) grant funding with the state’s 8% ADA foundation formula funding,…
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What the One Big Beautiful Bill Means for the Child Tax Credit
On Friday, July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law, ushering in a sweeping set of tax and fiscal changes with long-term implications for the federal budget, families, and state policy alike. One of the most closely…
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Congress Weighs the Future of the Child Tax Credit
As Congress negotiates the next major federal tax package, the future of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is once again up for debate. With key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire at the…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – U.S. Supreme Court hears case on religious charter schools Missouri Update – Open enrollment bill heard, a new workforce effort launched, and two new education leaders announced Kansas Update – A look at preschool…
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Head Start facing elimination after 60 years
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe said this week he would consider using state surplus funds to keep Head Start going if Congress approves discretionary spending cuts for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed by the Trump Administration. His comments follow a leaked draft of the…
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Weekly Update
This week’s highlights: Top News – Head Start facing elimination after 60 years Missouri Update – A look at the Governor’s first 100 days Kansas Update – Revenues Are Up — But Kansas’ Budget Still Faces Long-Term Imbalance Additional Highlights…
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