In a recent stride to enhance Missouri's child care landscape, Governor Mike Kehoe has released the Executive Order 25-15 Implementation Report, a crucial move towards refining the state's child care licensing rules. As outlined in a statement obtained by the Governor's Office, the aim here is to dismantle outdated and unnecessary regulations, easing the way for child care providers, while keeping a close eye on safety and quality for kids.
Exceeding Kehoe's initial call for a 10% rule reduction, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) identified over 10% of the existing 1,400 child care licensing rules as either surplus to requirement or repetitive. The DESE's diligence, having declared during his State of the State Address, the governor's attention is now set on making licensing clear, practical, and efficient. "Improving licensing is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to addressing Missouri's child care crisis, and we will continue to push forward until families have the access and options they need," Governor Mike Kehoe said in a statement from the Governor’s Office.
Specific steps from the DESE include consolidating the mélange of rules into a single, streamlined guide to easily navigate licensing mandates for all types of providers. Additionally, they plan to tailor a separate rule set for school-age-only programs, acknowledging their distinct operational needs compared to early childhood care. In this simplification process, Governor Kehoe’s push for reform echoes an undeniable fact: providers and families alike deserve a system free of convoluted red tape.
Commissioner Karla Eslinger of the DESE voiced gratitude towards the collaborative effort that lead to these milestones. "We've made important progress, but this is only the beginning," she stated. It is worth noting, under the DESE's guidance, more than half of all licensing rules were found repetitive across various child care facilities. Eslinger's commitment, along with the rest of her team, to work alongside families, providers, and legislators indicates a collective resolve to surmount the child care shortage and erect a more robust foundation for Missouri's children, as per the Governor’s Office.
With the release of the EO 25-15 report, Missouri lays the groundwork for what could be pivotal change in the state's approach to child care. What remains to be seen is how these initial steps will unfold into actual modifications of the child care licensing regulations as DESE moves into the formal rule rewriting process.
.jpg){kind=link}