Missouri

Overview

During the 2021-2022 school year, Missouri preschool enrolled 5,240 children, a decrease of 1,215 from the prior year. State spending totaled $26,084,589, down $798,344 (3%), adjusted for inflation since last year. State spending per child equaled $4,978 in 2021-2022, up $813 from 2020-2021, adjusted for inflation. Missouri met 5 of 10 quality standards benchmarks.

What's New

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently had grants available that allowed public schools to open or expand preschool programs. This has made a positive impact on availability of quality early childhood education. 

Missouri DESE received a $4 million Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B–5) planning grant in December 2022 to achieve the following objectives: disseminate innovative family engagement and early childhood workforce best practices at the state and local levels; expand the state’s Quality Assurance report that will define, measure, and support quality improvement; provide recruitment and retention opportunities for early childhood professionals; strengthen Missouri’s state-local partnership model through the state’s community leader model and related initiatives; and enhance systems of data collection and reporting. 

Missouri is developing a unified strategic plan for the state’s childhood system focused on the following big goals: (1) Expand access to high-quality programs and services; (2) Improve the quality of programs and services; (3) Strengthen community leadership; (4) Modernize systems and improve operations. The activities funded by this PDG B–5 opportunity will expand upon previous PDG B–5 activities and ultimately support the Office of Childhood in achieving these four goals and more.

Background

Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, Missouri’s Local Education Agencies (LEAs) were encouraged to use the Missouri Pre-K Foundation Formula fund for preschool. Most policy decisions are made by the LEAs but programs must meet requirements around teacher to child ratios, teacher degrees and certification, and fiscal spending and reporting. 

Previously, the Missouri Preschool Program (MPP), launched in 1998, served 3- and 4-year-olds in public schools, private child-care centers, and nonprofit agencies. Programs were required to work with the local Parents as Teachers program to provide parent education, family visits, group connections, health and development screenings, and services referrals. MPP was funded through the state’s Tobacco Settlement Fund. Priority for funding was given to programs serving children with special needs or from low-income families. The 2020-2021 school year was the last year of operation for MPP.

Missouri Pre-K Foundation Formula

Access

Some Head Start children may also be counted in state pre-K. Estimates children in special education not also enrolled in state pre-K or Head Start.
Total state pre-K enrollment	5,240
School districts that offer state program	33%; 46% (charter schools)
Income requirement	185% FPL
Minimum hours of operation	Determined locally
Operating schedule	School or academic year
Special education enrollment, ages 3 and 4	8,408
Federally funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4	10,145
State-funded Head Start enrollment, ages 3 and 4	0

Resources

Pre-K programs may receive additional funds from federal or local sources that are not included in this figure. K–12 expenditures include capital spending as well as current operating expenditures. Head Start per-child spending includes funding only for 3- and 4-year-olds.