JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - The Joplin School District plans to dramatically increase the number of day care slots it provides after a deadly tornado led several child care providers to close their doors.
By next fall, the district plans to accommodate up to 600 children. That's 425 more children than the district now serves.
The nonprofit group Child Care Aware of Missouri says there were 1,997 licensed day care spaces in centers before the storm. Afterward, there were 795 slots.
But The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/vAntfR ) reported that some day care operators are worried the expansion could put them out of business.
Count Diana Heckmaster among them. She and her daughter own The Learning Tree. She says many children have moved since the storm. While some centers have waiting lists, she says hers has openings.
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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com