Participation in subsidized child care drops in Missouri, By Nancy Cambria, November 17, 2014, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “In the span of a year, Missouri lost more children than any other state from a federal program that helps working parents pay for child care. The figures, from an October survey by the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, show enrollment has dropped by 12,300 children statewide — more than a quarter of the net loss of enrollment nationwide. The report notes that in 2013 participation in the child care subsidy program hit a 15-year low despite a rise in child poverty and stagnant wages in service jobs typically filled by the poor. Last year about 1.5 million children used the subsidy per month versus a program high of 1.8 million per month in 2006…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty