Start-up and Expansion Grants

Each year, First Chance for Children provides financial resources and technical support/training to early education providers in the community to help them start up and expand state licensed child care programs. The assistance is targeted to providers who serve low-income children from birth to three. This program is made possible by funding from the Missouri Department of Social Services through a partnership with the Boone County Community Partnership.

Currently, First Chance for Children serves 16 programs in Ashland, Centralia, Columbia, Hallsville, Harrisburg, and Midway including programs like:

• Harrisburg Preschool, a United Way member agency that serves a large number of low income children from rural Boone County;
• Curiosity Castle, a new facility in northern Columbia that serves infants and toddlers, owned and operated by Julean Evans, an African-American business woman who also runs 2 other accredited child care programs.
• A Parent’s Choice owned by Antionette Moore, a family child care provider pursuing her college degree in Early Childhood Education.