Missouri Submits Justification for Federal Child Care Payments

Jefferson City, Mo. - The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) Office of Childhood (OOC) is working with the federal government to ensure Missouri receives funding for child care providers.

Late Thursday, January 8, DESE-OOC received communication from the federal government requiring the department to submit detailed justification for pending child care payment requests in order to receive federal funding. DESE-OOC submitted the required documentation Friday, January 9.

"We understand the importance of verifying these dollars are spent appropriately, given recent events in other states," said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger.

Earlier this week DESE-OOC determined Missouri was not able to draw down Child Care and Development Funds (CCDF) to pay providers.

As of Friday, 1,743 Missouri child care providers, roughly 53%, were impacted by the delay in federal payment.

"Our priority is to ensure Missouri families and children continue to have access to safe and quality child care," said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger. "We continue to communicate and work alongside our federal partners to resolve the delay in payment as quickly as possible. We are grateful for our child care providers and the important work they do in caring for our young children."

DESE-OOC has been communicating with providers throughout the week about the delay. Providers are asked to continue submitting invoices, as this will help prevent further delays once funds are received. The department will notify child care providers of an updated timeline once information is available.

"We know how important these payments are to providers, and this is our utmost priority," said Office of Childhood Assistant Commissioner Deidre Anderson-Barbee. "Thank you for your patience, understanding, and commitment to the children and families of Missouri."

For questions on child care subsidy payments, please contact [email protected](link sends email).