Innovation Grants

House Bill 2 (2025) allocated funds from Missouri’s Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) to be used towards innovation grants to increase access to high quality child care across Missouri during Fiscal Year 2026. These grants are available to child care providers in two forms:

  • Innovation Grant to Start-Up a New Child Care Program for prospective child care providers wanting to start a new licensed child care program. (Available Now!)
  • Innovation Grant to Expand a Child Care Program for currently licensed child care providers. (Coming Soon!) 

Innovation Grant funds must be used to implement solutions to reduce the child care shortage in the state, including but not limited to the following:

  • Funding for child care business start-ups or expansion
  • Staff training and professional development
  • Minor modifications or improvements to the facility that are required for licensing
  • Incentives to retain employees
  • Assistance with licensing and other regulatory requirements
Innovation Grant to Start-Up a New Child Care Program

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood, is offering the Innovation Grant to Start-Up a New Child Care Program to help providers open new, licensed child care programs to increase access to child care for families across the state. This opportunity provides funding support through matching business or community partnership contributions.

This is made possible using the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), which is a state and federal partnership program that provides financial assistance to low-income families to access child care so that they can work or attend a job training or educational program. Missouri also uses CCDF to invest in quality to benefit thousands more children by building the skills and qualifications of the teacher workforce, supporting child care programs to achieve higher standards, and providing consumer education to help parents select child care that meets their family’s needs. For this reason, any facility applying for the grant must be CCDF eligible in order to receive payment(s).

A CCDF eligible provider shall be a child care provider who meets all of the health and safety requirements of the state subsidy program. These health and safety requirements require training, which is reported through the Missouri Professional Development (MOPD) system.

  • Each child care staff member must complete:
    • Age-appropriate CPR and First Aid training from one of DESE’s approved models;
    • CCDF Health and Safety training;
    • Caring for Vulnerable Children training; and
    • Missouri Milestones Matter training.
  • The owner/director of the child care facility must complete:
    • All of the above trainings, and
    • Subsidy Orientation training.

Grant Information

Payment Information

Resources

The Innovation Grant to Start-Up a New Child Care Program funding opportunity closed on November 30, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Innovation Grant to Expand a Child Care Program

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood, is offering the Innovation Grant to Expand a Child Care Program to help licensed providers expand their child care programs to increase access to child care for families across the state.

More information is coming soon regarding this opportunity! 

Please email childhoodgrants@dese.mo.gov with any questions about these grants.