The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary’s (DESE’s) Office of Childhood (OOC) has fully reviewed the child care subsidy backlog in family applications for child care assistance, provider applications for subsidy contracts, and provider payment reviews through September. Payments will continue to be sent over the coming weeks. Starting in March, the OOC will be reviewing family applications and provider contract applications within the OOC’s expected processing time.
“We appreciate the diligent efforts of the teams that worked to address the system issues and reviewed the backlog,” said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger. “We also want to thank subsidy program families, providers, and other stakeholders for their patience.”
The OOC experienced several technical challenges launching the new Child Care Data System (CCDS) in December 2023, which created the backlog. The number of backlogged cases has declined each month since summer 2024, when additional temporary and contracted staff were added. The OOC and its vendors resolved all necessary technical issues within the new CCDS in January 2025, preventing any future backlog.
In 2024, the OOC paid more than $204,000,000 to child care providers serving subsidy-eligible children, processed 39,006 applications for families to receive subsidized child care, and processed nearly 2,800 contracts for providers to serve subsidy-eligible children. Learn more here about the work accomplished in 2024 to support the child care subsidy program and other early care and education efforts.
The CCDS provides a web-based, near real-time system for families and child care providers to enter and view their information for child care subsidy. There are about 22,000 children and 2,000 providers actively participating in the child care subsidy program in Missouri. Families looking for child care assistance can learn more here to determine if they may qualify for state assistance.
There has also been a change in leadership in DESE’s Office of Childhood. Effective February 24, 2025, DESE Deputy Commissioner Kelli Jones will serve in the interim as the main point of contact for the Office of Childhood.