New Growth MO Community Development

09/01/2026

Child care progress is happening in west central Missouri.

Less than a year after communities in Cedar, Henry, Polk, and St. Clair counties came together to build a regional Child Care Action Plan, we’re beginning to see results:

➡️ Families of 39 children will see child care costs drop by an average of two-thirds through Child Care Works.

➡️ Seven area employers have stepped forward to offer Child Care Works as an employee benefit.

➡️ Three new child care businesses are expected to open soon, creating up to 30 new child care slots.

➡️ Seven existing child care businesses are receiving essential business support to help them strengthen and sustain their operations.

There is much more work to do. But these early results show what can happen when families, employers, child care professionals, community organizations, and government work together to tackle child care challenges from multiple directions.

And there are still ways to get involved, whether you’re an employer interested in Child Care Works, someone considering starting a child care business, or a community member who wants to help strengthen child care locally.

Read more about the progress, the opportunities available now, and what comes next:

🔗 https://www.newgrowthmo.org/post/child-care-action-plan-produces-results

08/27/2026

Child care providers are professionals.

Whether they operate a child care center or care for children in their own home, they are running businesses while doing work that carries enormous responsibility.

They navigate licensing and regulations. Manage budgets, payroll, tuition, and expenses. Communicate with families. Plan meals and activities. Maintain safe environments. Keep records. Hire and manage staff. And, at the center of all of it, they care for and support children during some of their most important years of development.

That takes skill, knowledge, judgment, and dedication.

And their work reaches far beyond the children and families they serve.

Child care is part of the infrastructure that keeps rural communities working. When families have reliable child care, parents can go to work, employers can keep employees, and local economies are stronger. When child care isn't available, the effects ripple through an entire community.

That's one reason New Growth is investing in the business side of child care.

Through the New Growth Women's Business Center, we're working directly with child care business owners to better understand their challenges, connect them with practical business resources, and help them build stronger, more sustainable businesses. Our new Child Care Business Accelerator will take that work even further with individualized guidance designed around the realities of running a child care business.

Because supporting child care professionals isn't only an investment in child care. It's an investment in families, businesses, our workforce, and the future of our rural communities.

You take your child care business seriously. So do we.

Learn more about the Child Care Business Accelerator and sign up to participate:
https://www.newgrowthmo.org/post/child-care-business-accelerator

There’s still a spot available in our first group. Sign up by September 1!

08/22/2026

Small businesses make our rural communities stronger. And behind many of those businesses are trusted resources that help entrepreneurs get started, work through challenges, and keep moving forward.

The New Growth Women’s Business Center (WBC) is one of those resources.

Through the WBC, entrepreneurs across our rural Missouri and Kansas service area can access one-on-one business counseling, training, connections to financing and resources, and support tailored to where they are in their business journey.

Federal funding through the U.S. Small Business Administration provides an important foundation for this work, and right now, you can help show that Women’s Business Centers have strong support in the communities they serve.

✍️ Add your name in support of Women’s Business Centers:
https://awbc.org/supportwbcs/

Whether you’ve worked with the New Growth WBC, partnered with us, or simply believe local entrepreneurs should have trusted resources close to home, your voice matters.

It takes about 30 seconds to sign on, but together, those names can send a strong message: Investing in small businesses means investing in our communities.

https://awbc.org/supportwbcs/

08/21/2026

We were glad to welcome representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration to the New Growth Women’s Business Center last week for our annual review!

The New Growth WBC is partially funded by the SBA, providing an important foundation that we build on with other partners and resources to bring trusted, local business support to entrepreneurs across our rural communities.

That support means business owners have someone to turn to when they’re starting a business, working through a challenge, looking for financing, or figuring out what comes next.

And that matters beyond any one business. When local entrepreneurs have the resources and connections they need to grow, they create jobs, provide needed products and services, and help build stronger communities.

We appreciate our partnership with the SBA and the opportunity to share more about the work happening here in rural Missouri and Kansas. Small business success strengthens all of us.

There’s always more happening at New Growth. Join our newsletter to keep up with resources, events, opportunities, and stories from across our communities.

Get the newsletter: https://www.newgrowthmo.org/

08/20/2026

Help us by adding your name! ✍️ Funding for Women’s Business Centers helps provide trusted resources to entrepreneurs starting and growing local businesses. Those businesses create jobs, generate local revenue, and provide the goods and services our rural communities need.

Just a few seconds of your time can help make a difference. Add your name in support of WBC funding!

We need your help! We’re still collecting signatures in support of Women’s Business Centers, with a goal of sending 20,000 letters to Congress calling for continued support and funding.

Why? Because WBCs deliver real, measurable impact for entrepreneurs across the country. In 2025 alone, they supported 241,000 jobs and $11 billion in wages, and YOU can help us continue this work.

👉 Take 30 seconds to add your name: awbc.org/supportwbcs

08/20/2026

New Growth joined friends and partners from across Missouri agriculture at this morning’s Governor’s Ham Breakfast.

New Growth and Missouri Farmers Union Program and Policy Director Kallie Turner joined Missouri Farmers Union Vice President Bill Sullivan and Local Food Safety Coordinator Brittany Sullivan at the annual Governor’s Ham Breakfast this morning.

The longtime State Fair tradition brings together farmers, agricultural leaders, elected officials, and community representatives from across the state to celebrate Missouri agriculture and the people and communities behind it.

Kallie, Brittany, and Bill had the opportunity to connect with others working across Missouri agriculture and local food. Connections like these help strengthen the relationships and partnerships that support Missouri agriculture and rural communities.

Were you at the Governor’s Ham Breakfast today, too? Let us know! 🥓🌾

08/18/2026

Got legal questions about your business? ⚖️ Join us in Stockton for free, one-on-one Business Law Office Hours hosted by the New Growth Women’s Business Center.

Janae Graham, local attorney and small business owner, is generously offering her time to meet with local business owners and help answer their questions.

📅 Thursday, August 27, 2026
📍 Cedar County Library, Stockton, MO
💲 No cost
⏰ A few appointment times are still available!

Email [email protected] to reserve a time.

Can’t make it to Stockton? Janae also recently led a free training on trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. Watch the on-demand session here:
https://newgrowth.ecenterdirect.com/events/1019163

See more at newgrowthmo.org

08/17/2026

Leading a team or sharpening Excel skills, check out these quality classes from the Missouri SBDC at SFCC!

08/13/2026

Yesterday was a great opportunity to connect around investment in rural communities.

Sheridan Garman-Neeman and Patty Cantrell joined community organizations, financial institutions, foundations, and other partners at the **2026 Investment Connection Kansas and Western Missouri** event in Kansas City.

The conversation focused on needs and opportunities across rural Kansas and western Missouri, from community development and healthcare to education and food access.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to share more about New Growth’s work, learn about the work of others across the region, and make connections that can help strengthen rural communities.

Thank you to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City for creating the space to bring community needs, ideas, and potential investment together.

If you'd like to stay up-to-date on New Growth's work, join the email list for monthly email news at https://www.newgrowthmo.org/