Safe and inspiring learning environments lay the foundation for positive early childhood experiences, supporting young learners’ cognitive, social, and emotional development. More broadly, high-quality early childhood education (ECE) serves as essential community infrastructure, enabling parents to remain in the workforce and anchoring neighborhood stability.
With demand for high-quality ECE far outpacing the available supply of early learning slots across the country, preserving existing capacity is critical. That’s why there’s been a concerted effort in St. Louis to bolster the local ECE ecosystem in the aftermath of a catastrophic tornado in May 2025 that damaged more than 40 child care facilities along its nearly 23-mile long path through the city’s metro area. Hardest hit was the city’s north side, where the damage exacerbated long-term challenges faced by community members caused directly by decades of disinvestment.
In the immediate wake of the storm, IFF—in coordination with regional partners and supported by a grant from the James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF)—provided emergency relief for 10 ECE providers in the city’s hardest hit neighborhoods. This included facility assessments, repairs, and recovery planning, helping preserve 280 ECE seats by empowering providers to address immediate storm-related damage, stabilize their spaces, and continue serving children and families.
Supported by an additional $2 million grant from JSMF designed to do far more than simply recover the capacity lost because of the tornado, IFF is now partnering with Gateway Early Childhood Alliance (Gateway), First Children’s Finance (FCF), and Smart Equity to help providers move beyond survival mode and position themselves for long-term stability and growth.
“All families and children deserve access to safe, high-quality early learning spaces, but quality ECE programs are also crucial for keeping working parents in the workforce, which is foundational to thriving economies and communities.”
“All families and children deserve access to safe, high-quality early learning spaces, but quality ECE programs are also crucial for keeping working parents in the workforce, which is foundational to thriving economies and communities,” says Celina Byrd, managing director, early childhood strategy for IFF. “Thanks to the support of our partners, we are doing more than just recovering lost capacity, we’re helping to secure and stabilize these programs for years to come.”
According to Gateway, the St. Louis area had a shortage of about 20,000 child care seats. At least seven of the 40 severely damaged ECE facilities will not be reopening, which will widen the gap by about 300 additional seats. Most of the providers are long-time business owners, who, in addition to storm damage, continue to contend with razor-thin profit margins, uninsured and aging facilities, staffing shortages, and other systemic barriers that strain their operations and finances.
To address these hurdles, this new round of relief work includes:
- Facility rehabilitation: IFF’s Real Estate Solutions team is assessing facility needs and managing structural repairs or relocations for the 10 centers supported in the immediate aftermath of the tornado. Seven of the 10 providers are moving forward with facility construction and repairs facilitated by grants of $20,000 to $100,000, with construction slated to be completed next spring.
- Relocation and support: Based on facility assessments, three of the providers’ facilities can no longer meet their operational needs, and Smart Equity is assisting IFF in identifying new locations to lease. Smart Equity will also provide one-on-one training on lease language and revisions and assist each provider with lease-related issues and negotiations with landlords.
- Long-term sustainability planning: FCF is helping owners transition from short-term to 10- and 15-year sustainability plans by offering consultations and operational coaching, focusing on business and financial planning, staff retention, and software integration.
- Rapid response: Approximately $750,000 of the funding is reserved for emerging licensing-critical emergencies, such as immediate roof repairs or emergency furniture replacements. Gateway, which has deep regional ties and experience in emergency relief, is leading this work and managing the funds.
Click here to learn more about IFF’s work in the ECE sector across the Midwest