As this is the last week of the Missouri legislative session, we are taking inventory of our wins this year and the incremental gains over the past ten years.

Parents can't afford to wait on childcare solution. This week, we examine the cost of childcare related to average family incomes in St. Charles County, Missouri, and a tax credit package proposed by lawmakers to incentivize investment in childcare providers to help with talent recruitment and operating expenses.

This week, we report on an education omnibus that increases a school choice scholarship program from $50 to $75 million. We also cover all the legislative happenings in Missouri and Kansas.

This week, we report on a literacy update presented to the Missouri State Board of Education at its monthly meeting. We also cover legislative happenings in Missouri and Kansas and profile an exciting real-world learning program provided by one of our Aligned board members.

In this case study, we explore the transformative impact of a policy initiative spearheaded by Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, addressing the critical nexus of education, accessibility, and community welfare. Leveraging new state education funding facilitated by the KC Pre-K Cooperative and championed by the nonpartisan coalition Aligned, Operation Breakthrough serves low-income children and helps students over come barriers to learning and fosters Kindergarten readiness through its holistic approach to early education. This profile serves as a testament to the importance of effective policy advocacy and its transformative potential in addressing critical societal issues.

This week, we report on a school accountability bill that emphasizes achievement and growth and we cover the latest happenings in Missouri and Kansas.

This week, The Atlantic published an article signaling that private equity is interested in child care, especially in areas where the subsidy reimbursement rates have dramatically increased. Vermont, for example, recently raised eligibility levels to 575 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Missouri, by comparison, requires families to be at or below 150% of the FPL.

Leaders in Kansas and Missouri recognize the direct link between economic prosperity and competitiveness and the success and quality of our early childhood systems. This week, we've observed substantial progress in early childhood initiatives across both states.

This week at the Missouri State Capitol, Representative Brenda Shields, a longtime champion of early education and former business leader, led a coalition of nearly a dozen respected statewide organizations to present HB 1486, which would remove the cap on Pre-K funding for 4-year-olds and expand a voluntary opportunity for children classified as "low-income", meaning they qualify for free- and reduced lunch (FRL).