Child Care Aware of Missouri

Stated Purpose:
To raise the quality of early child care educational experiences in Missouri by improving child care services through training, education, quality standards, coaching, and business support.

Year, State Incorporated:
1998, MO

Also Known As:
Missouri Childcare Resource & Referral Network Missouri Child Care Resource

Child Care Aware® of Missouri offers a variety of programs to inform and assist families, child care programs and the community so every young child receives safe, quality learning experiences.

Families receive referrals to child care programs in their area by calling our Resource Specialists directly or searching on-line through our website. On-line chat is available during business hours for families who want to ask specific questions using the on-line option. Educational materials provided to families assist them in identifying types of child care, indictors of quality care and questions to ask when calling and visiting child care programs.

Show Me Child Care Resource is a subscription-based website for child care programs that provides access to 1,800+ resources and discounts. Child care programs gain access to information and material supports related to healthy business practices, staff wellness, children’s learning and development, and family engagement all in one place. Show Me Child Care Resource also offers child care business owners access to on demand health care benefits available to all staff and their families at a discounted rate.

Child Care Aware® of Missouri offers professional development for educators in the early learning workforce by partnering with trainers across the state. This model ensures that child care educators have access to quality professional development across the state. Training curricula includes: Basic Knowledge Curriculum in Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood, Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect (Zero to Three), Social and Emotional Foundations for Learning, and Supervision of Children. Each curriculum includes multiple training modules delivered through two-hour sessions. Training is offered both in-person and on-line to increase accessibility throughout Missouri.

Child Care Aware® of Missouri maintains and develops the Missouri Workshop Calendar for Early Childhood and Your Development Professionals. The Calendar is an integral part of the Missouri Professional Development System for early childhood and youth educators. All Department of Health and Senior Services, Section for Child Care Regulation clock hour approved training is listed on the Calendar. This includes information on in-person training, online in real time and online on demand sessions. The Calendar is also used by trainers to submit sessions for approval and upload attendance after trainings and conferences. All attendance data is shared with the Missouri Professional Development Registry.

Child Care Aware® of Missouri administers the annual Professional Development Needs Survey that asks child care educators about the training they take and their topics of interest. The information is shared with early childhood training entities and Missouri State departments in an effort to better meet the professional development needs of the child care workforce.

Taking Steps to Healthy Success-MO is an early learning collaborative focused on the prevention of childhood obesity through increased nutrition and physical activity. Through a series of training and coaching sessions, child care programs modify their health and wellness practices and create policies to support their changes.

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Missouri Scholarship Program increases the quality of child care through the education, compensation and retention of Missouri’s early childhood workforce. Unique among scholarships, T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI is designed for child care educators who work full time and want to earn their early childhood degree by attending college part time. The scholarship recipient, their sponsoring employer and T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI work together to support the education and retention of the workforce. The scholarship assists with paying the majority of tuition and books, access to a scholarship counselor and an annual contract completion bonus.

The Child Care Aware® of Missouri CDA Scholarship Project was launched in 2019 to assist child care educators in earning their national Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Participants can earn training clock hours or college credits to fulfill the CDA education requirements. Our CDA Scholarship Project counselors assist candidates in the development of their professional portfolio and preparation for a verification visit from the Council for Professional Recognition. A completion bonus is awarded to each participant upon earning a CDA.

Child Care Aware® of Missouri hosts quarterly Regional Collaboration Meetings throughout the state. Each meeting features professional development topics for attendees and is crafted to meet the specific interests of the region. Regional Collaboration Meetings bring community partners together to discuss early childhood events, initiatives and trainings offered in the area.

For the year ended September 30, 2023, Child Care Aware of Missouri's program expenses were:

Chief Executive
Robin Phillips, CEO

Compensation*
$160,681

Chair of the Board
Shannon Weber

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Renaissance Financial

Board Size
10

Paid Staff Size
15

* Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Child Care Aware of Missouri's audited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2023.

Source of Funds

Programs: 90% Fundraising: 1% Administrative: 9%