Missouri’s child care licensing system advanced toward streamlining on Tuesday, when Governor Mike Kehoe unveiled the Executive Order 25-15 Implementation Report, according to a press release from his communications office.

The proposed changes aim to eliminate old, repetitive or complex rules. That update won't compromise the goal of high quality and safe child care. While this means progress, work remains. The governor remarked that the updates are expected at the speed of business.

"This report is a strong first step, but we know there is much more work to be done, which we expect to be done at business speed. 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," Kehoe said.

After Kehoe announced an executive order while delivering his first State of the State Address in January, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) acted. According to the implementation report, DESE said that, "Over 10% of rules for family homes, group homes, and centers (177 total) are outdated, duplicative, or unnecessary and should be removed."

To avoid the excessive repetition they discovered in greater than half the licensing rules across various homes and facilities, the DESE proposed to combine the rules into one book that clearly illuminates general requirements for all providers and those specific to differing facilities. They also plan to develop specialized rules for school-age-only programs. Those programs function differently from those of early childhood care providers.

The Ozarks DynaCom News Department reviewed the DESE's report. The report documents regulatory changes ranging from 1955 to 2024. It explains that although they were positive in their time, the decades-long scattered process by which they developed doesn't best serve the current needs. Instead, the results are redundant and fragmented.

According to the press release, DESE Commissioner Karla Eslinger emphasized the importance of the modernization. "This review is an opportunity to modernize child care licensing in Missouri, and I'd like to thank our stakeholders for their hard work in helping us identify areas for improvement," Eslinger said. "We've made important progress, but this is only the beginning. Families, providers, DESE, and legislators must continue working together to address the child care shortage and build a stronger system for the future," she added.

In a statement to the Ozarks DynaCom News Department, DESE commented on what the advances mean for home-based businesses and other providers. “Family child care homes are a vital resource for families, and we anticipate that updating and modernizing the rules will make the licensing process more efficient—not only for family child care homes but also for centers, group homes, and after-school programs,” the agency said.

The director of a Branson child care provider expressed hope for the changes. Pam Dapprich, director of Little Ones Learning Center LLC—a longtime Branson provider, serving families for 31 years—told Ozarks DynaCom’s news department she supports the planned updates.

“I think it’s great,” Dapprich said. She noted that in previous years, the rules were inconsistent and interpreted differently by different inspectors. Dapprich added that the best part of the changes is that the progress doesn’t negatively impact child safety.

The DESE website provides additional information about child care.