Connecting Families, Providers, and Employers to Childcare Solutions
Childcare Community Resource Center
United for Childcare is a community-based childcare resource center and AmeriCorps program serving Southeast Missouri. We help families find childcare that works for their lives, support providers as they grow and sustain quality care, and partner with employers to strengthen the local workforce.
At the center of United for Childcare is one simple goal: to remove childcare as a barrier so families can work, businesses can retain employees, and communities can thrive.
A Community-Driven AmeriCorps Program
United for Childcare is powered by AmeriCorps members who serve as trusted, on-the-ground support for families and providers across our region.
Our AmeriCorps members are trained Childcare Planning Specialists, Family Resource Navigators, and Community Connectors who work one-on-one with families and providers to:
Explore childcare options
Navigate childcare subsidies and programs
Connect to transportation, employment, and other supports
Provide ongoing follow-up as needs change
This program is funded in part by AmeriCorps, with local leadership and investment from United Way of Southeast Missouri and a growing network of community and employer partners.
We help parents and caregivers:
Explore all types of childcare options in their area
Create a personalized childcare plan based on work schedules, transportation, and preferences
Apply for childcare subsidies and understand eligibility
Navigate Missouri’s Child Care Works (tri-share) program
Connect to wraparound supports like transportation, housing, employment services, and financial coaching
Receive ongoing, one-on-one support from a trusted Childcare Planning Specialist
Our Services
We support childcare providers by:
Assisting with licensing and compliance navigation
Helping fill open childcare slots and stabilize enrollment
Supporting participation in Child Care Works
Connecting providers to training, technical assistance, and business resources
Strengthening the childcare workforce across the region
We partner with employers to:
Reduce absenteeism and turnover caused by childcare challenges
Offer childcare support to employees through Child Care Works
Strengthen workforce recruitment and retention
Connect employees to childcare planning and support services
Build family-friendly workplace solutions that work for businesses of all sizes
Rooted in Southeast Missouri
United for Childcare serves families, providers, and employers across Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott, and Perry counties. Our work is grounded in local partnerships, community data, and real-world solutions shaped by the needs of Southeast Missouri families and employers.
We collaborate closely with childcare providers, employers, school districts, nonprofits, and public partners to create practical, sustainable childcare solutions.
Strong Partnerships. Lasting Impact.
United for Childcare is made possible through collaboration.
This program is operated by United Way of Southeast Missouri and funded in part by AmeriCorps, along with support from local employers, foundations, and community partners who believe that childcare is essential infrastructure for a strong workforce and a healthy community.
Together, we are building a system that works—for families, for providers, and for employers.