Public Safety Childcare Center Groundbreaking Set for Spring 2025

Boone County Government is excited to break ground on its Public Safety Childcare Center on April 18, 2025 at the Public Safety Campus. The Center is thought to be the first purpose-built public safety childcare center in the nation.

Construction on this project is expected to begin in late spring 2025 and the Center is anticipated to open by mid-year 2026. The construction will take place on the Boone County Public Safety Campus adjacent to the Boone County Regional Training Center, which is currently under construction and set to be complete by fall 2025.

During its Tuesday, October 22, 2024 meeting, the Boone County Commission approved a $2.5 million funding agreement with the State of Missouri for the construction of the Public Safety Childcare Center.

The $2.5 million in state funding was appropriated by the Missouri General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session and is anticipated to cover approximately fifty percent of the cost of the construction project. The line-item is found in House Bill 2020 section 224.

The Boone County Public Safety Childcare Center, an approximately 10,000 square foot facility will provide extended access to childcare for first responders within Boone County Government. The childcare center will initially include approximately 5,000 square feet in finished space on the main level and 5,000 square feet of unfinished space in a walkout basement to accommodate future expansion of the facility.

Access to and the availability of affordable childcare is at crisis level across the nation. This is exacerbated for first responders due to atypical, unpredictable schedules and the typically limited hours of most childcare centers. Through the construction of the Public Safety Childcare Center, Boone County hopes to address the challenge of finding childcare for its first responders including Boone County Sherriff's Office law enforcement and jail/detention staff, and the Boone County Joint Communications' emergency telecommunicators.

Check back for regular updates on this project.