Meeting The Needs

Ask any working parent what some of the biggest needs are in our area and you are likely to hear childcare mentioned.

In fact, 75 of the 115 counties in Missouri can be considered Child Care Deserts, including Stone and Taney counties.

According to information from Missouri Child Care Aware, Child Care Deserts are defined as a county with more than 50 children under the age of 5 that contains either no child care providers or so few of options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed spots.

It’s a complex issue but not one many of our area school districts are shying away from, including Bradleyville.

The district recently opened Little Eaglets Daycare, the first daycare center ever run by the district. With the help a Hope Grant from Silver Dollar City Foundation, the district opened the daycare facility on the school campus, currently serving eight children representing seven different families.

“We had teachers and staff who needed childcare, which is not readily available in the area,” explained Superintendent Kendra Stuart.

Stuart knows the value of early childhood education and what it means to families to have a safe, loving place to take their children while they work, but Stuart’s No. 1 goal was to really take one more stress from families in her area.

Hope grant funds were used to renovate a building for the daycare and purchase initial supplies.