KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Wendy Chacon called Gamboa a few months ago in tears to share her story, concerned she would not financially make it through the inspection process. Kidz Inc. owner, Tana Betts also mentioned compliance concerns during a previous story. KSHB 41 prioritizes the relationships built working on stories and is ready to hear yours. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Opening new childcare facilities in Missouri requires navigating a complex web of compliance inspections, and providers say inconsistent requirements between different agencies are making it harder to address the state's childcare shortage.
Wendy Clark Chacon recently opened Sunshine Daycare and Learning Center in Harrisonville after a six-month licensing journey that began in May. The code enforcement process wasn't completed until November 19.
The Missouri State licensing process requires she pay rent in a building before state inspections. In that six-month process, Chacon told KSHB 41's Cass County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, she spent $40,000 paying rent and making the necessary adjustments.
Chacon's facility fills a critical gap in a community where families previously had to travel to neighboring cities for childcare.
"When I was looking for daycare, I'd have to go to Belton or Raymore, or somewhere else," said Tina Joy, a grandparent caring for her grandchildren while her son serves in the Navy and the children's mother attends school. "It's phenomenal."
The metro area has a significant need for toddler care, with 32,000 open spots representing the greatest shortage, according to Kids Win Missouri.
Janise Powell, a provider coach with Wonderschool, said about 97% of Missouri's 150 counties are childcare deserts.
"There is not a lot of childcare the further out you get from the main cities," Powell said.
However, building regulations have prevented Chacon from fully opening her facility at full capacity for toddlers and infants. Her downstairs area, which could accommodate 30 additional children, remains unusable due to conflicting requirements between city and state agencies.
"What the city wants, is what the city wants. What the state wants, is what the state wants," Chacon said. "Once you get everybody in the same boat of what you're trying to do, it will be better."
The biggest obstacle came when the city required a fire sprinkler system for the entire building, costing $150,000 that Chacon couldn't afford.
KSHB 41 reached out to the Missouri Division of Fire Safety for a clearer picture on those regulations. A spokesperson told Gamboa to contact the city. He told Gamboa that requirement would've been issued by the City of Harrisonville. The City of Harrisonville did not respond to Gamboa's email.
After months of waiting, a new code enforcement officer and contractor found an alternative solution in October. That allowed her to open with modified age groups on the main level.
"You have to pay rent in a place that you still don't know if it's going to function or not," Chacon said.
Down the road at Kidz Inc., owner Tana Betts faces similar challenges with regulatory compliance across multiple facilities. KSHB 41 first reported on a tri-share childcare pilot program in the Harrisonville School District back in September.
"Sanitation, fire, and childcare compliance; all the rules don't align. One person says one thing; one department says another. So, who do you follow?" Betts said.
Betts has experienced firsthand how different inspectors interpret the same regulations differently. At her Harrisonville facility, she was initially cited for 15 violations by one inspector, but when a supervisor reviewed the case, only three violations remained because they interpreted the regulations differently.
"It depends on which fire marshal you get, which inspector you get on how they interpret the rules," Betts said.
The Harrisonville Kidz Inc. location isn't her only operation. She also runs a facility in Pleasant Hill and will soon begin construction in Archie, Missouri, a community which recently lost it's only childcare facility.
Betts explained when she took on the Harrisonville project, she modeled the building set up after the Pleasant Hill location which meets the compliance standards. It didn't matter. There were still issues.
The door requirements is one of the biggest areas of confusion Betts' faced.
Fire code requires certain doors to remain open for emergency exits, while childcare compliance mandates they stay closed for safety.
"Fire says this is good, and I have to leave this door open, but childcare compliance says I have to leave this door shut," Betts said, pointing through an office area without a true clear pathway.
"This door is considered compliant per fire code to be able to wheel kids and cribs out into the hallway," Betts explained, though she noted the door leads into another room, which typically violates childcare regulations.
All regulations are designed to keep children and the public safe, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which oversees the childcare licensing process.
Providers must comply with both state and city guidelines, but the lack of coordination between agencies costs providers significant time and money.
Powell noted that while the licensing process itself is free, the startup costs and compliance requirements can be prohibitive.
"Unless you are aware of the licensing and the codes that the city needs ahead of time, you could end up with a building that won't pass any inspections," Powell said.
Gamboa asked DESE about communication between state and local inspectors. A DESE spokesperson told him, "Licensing does not communicate with the local inspectors, but requires the provider to provide evidence of compliance with local building and zoning requirements. Some municipalities don’t have any local requirements, so providers in these areas only have to meet state licensing regulations."
Additionally, neither the city regulations nor the state regulations have greater authority over the other. Providers find it problematic that inspectors often interpret the regulations differently, leading to more confusion.
The DESE spokesperson told Gamboa, "All inspectors are trained to regulate the same, but there are always nuances that might cause someone to site a violation that hadn’t ever been cited."
Both Chacon and Betts are calling for consistency in the regulatory process, which they believe could lead to more childcare availability across the state.
"I think it would help tremendously because then more people could get licensed," Betts said.
Betts suggests involving industry professionals in writing regulations to eliminate gray areas and ensure all three departments - sanitation, fire, and childcare compliance - work together.
"Have people that work in the industry help with the rules. Ask their opinion, have them on a committee to help write the rules and just tweak them a little so everyone understands them," Betts said.
For Chacon, despite the challenges that brought her to tears during the process, the goal remains clear.
"I want to be part of the community, I want to be the piece that families are missing," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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