ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri had the largest enrollment decline in the country for a federal program that helps working parents pay for child care, according to a report.
The October report by the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, said the number of Missouri children receiving a federal child care subsidy fell by 12,300 from 2012 through 2013. Thirty other states also saw net losses in the program.

Some officials think a recovering economy is the cause for the decrease, with families earning too much to qualify for the child care discounts.
But some Missouri child advocates say otherwise. They think the state’s reorganization of its Family Support Division offices in the Department of Social Services is preventing parents from signing up. They also cite declines in state enrollment in other programs, such as Medicaid and food stamps