Missouri Awards $1.46 Million to Expand Childcare Support for Rural Health Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 13, 2026

CONTACT: Baylee.Watts@dss.mo.gov

Missouri Awards $1.46 Million to Expand Childcare Support for Rural Health Workers  

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS), in partnership with the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), has awarded $1.46 million through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to Kids Win Missouri to expand its Child Care Works program, which helps working families cover costs for high-quality childcare. 

While Child Care Works supports families and industries across Missouri, the RHTP grant specifically supports Child Care Works for rural health employers and equips communities with tools to address childcare supply challenges.  

“Far too often, rural Missouri families are forced to choose between a good job and childcare they can trust for their kids,” said Brian Schmidt, Executive Director at Kids Win Missouri. “For health care providers, that disruption hurts not only employers and employees, but also patients.” 

This investment also aligns with broader efforts to strengthen Missouri's rural health system.

"CMS is proud to work with states like Missouri to deliver innovative, locally driven solutions as part of President Trump's Rural Health Transformation Program," said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. "These awards demonstrate how this historic investment is empowering rural communities to strengthen their health systems, put patients first, and bring better care closer to home."

This federal commitment complements Missouri's approach, reinforcing the importance of stable, high-quality childcare in supporting the rural health workforce. 

What is Child Care Works? 

Missouri Child Care Works is a program that creates sustainable pathways to quality childcare by sharing childcare costs among multiple stakeholders: the State of Missouri, participating employers and/or community organizations, and families on a tiered basis (dependent on family income). This significantly reduces the financial burden of high childcare costs on families, ensures stable funding for childcare providers, and increases workforce retention for employers. 

Since launching in December 2025 across seven Missouri communities, Child Care Works has seen strong early interest from employers, with more than 50 employers currently participating in the program. The program was further enabled by H.R. 1’s expansion of the federal Section 45F Employer-Provided Child Care Credit, which provides additional incentives for employers to invest in childcare benefits for their workforce.  

“We’re grateful to the Department of Social Services and the Children’s Trust Fund for recognizing this crisis and making this important investment in our rural health care workforce,” Schmidt said. 

To learn more about Child Care Works and how to enroll, visit childcareworksmo.org.  

About The Missouri Children’s Trust Fund 

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) is Missouri’s foundation for child abuse prevention within the State of Missouri’s Office of Administration. The primary function of CTF is to fund child abuse and neglect prevention programs throughout the state, with an emphasis on home visiting and child sexual abuse prevention. To learn more about CTF, please visit ctf4kids.org. 

About Kids Win Missouri 

Kids Win Missouri is a coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the well-being of Missouri children. Stakeholders come together to advocate for policies that support the health, education, safety and development of children and their families, especially those who are at risk because of poverty, abuse, neglect, racial inequities or other risk factors. 

To learn more: 

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The Rural Health Transformation Program information provided by the Missouri Department of Social Services is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $216,276,817.66, with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.