Governor Parson unveils plan to merge state offices serving youngest children

Governor Parson announced the formation of the Office of Childhood last Wednesday as part of his State of the State address, and advocates around the state celebrated the move as a monumental step towards creating a comprehensive vision and program alignment of Missouri’s early childhood system.

“Listening to our stakeholders during the past several years along with the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of ensuring our early care and education system functions seamlessly for parents and early childhood service providers alike. This new structure will allow Missouri to administer child care, home visiting, and First Steps in more efficient and innovative ways.” said Craig Stevenson, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Kids Win Missouri. “With the award of the Preschool Development Grants, partnerships from national organizations to elevate the issue and Governor Parson’s commitment, we have more momentum than ever to create necessary changes to better serve our youngest children.”

~ Read the rest in today’s Journal ~