Although the city of Cape Girardeau has no shortage of licensed day care centers, an official with the Division of Family Services says finding one that will care for children under 2 years of age is usually difficult.

"There is a definite shortage of infant and toddler care," said Deanna Long of the Division of Family Services. "It's the one age group whose care is in the biggest demand."

Long oversees all licensed day-care centers in Cape Girardeau County. She said of the 12 licensed centers in the city of Cape Girardeau, only three of them offer infant and toddler care. None offer care at night, she said.

Long said the shortage of infant and toddler care has an economic base and, as with any type of day care, the biggest expense is paying the care givers. Centers that care for the very young are required to have more workers than those that care for children over age 2.

In Missouri, centers must have one care provider for every four children under age 2. Above that age, the ratio jumps to one care provider for every eight children.

"You have a smaller supply of care for children of that age (under age 2) because it's so expense to provide," Long said.

Parents looking for a place to care for their very young children can also look to day-care homes. A day-care home can enroll up to 10 children, compared to a day-care center, which can enroll as many children as it's staff can handle within the staff-child ratios set down by the state.

Long said of the 17 day-care homes in Cape Girardeau, 13 provide infant and child care. But because enrollment is limited, the homes are usually unable to take on new children.

"Parents who call (the Division of Family Services) looking for a day-care home often call us back and tell us they are all full," she said.

As for offering night-time care, Long said it's usually not economically feasible for the centers.

"In the experience I've had and that goes back to 1973 I've seen some centers open evening shifts on a trial basis, and every one of them has closed," she said. "There turns out to be a lack of demand."

Long said the need locally for day care has grown tremendously. While women began entering the work force in large numbers more than a decade ago, most mothers still stayed home until children were ready to enter school.

But the advent of the two-income household, coupled with a rise in single-parent families, has led to a standard six-week maternity leave.

"I just think the (day care) industry itself has grown in a phenomenal way," Long said. And along with that growth, she said, has come more of a concern for quality care.

Parents are more assertive than ever about what type of care they want for their children, she said. They want information about a center's reputation and quality before they enroll their child.

"These children spend more of their waking hours with care givers than they do with their parents," Long said. And when it comes to quality day-care centers, she said, "parents are insisting on their rights."

Beginning in late summer, all workers in licensed day-care centers and homes in Missouri will be required to complete 12 hours of child-care training annually. Workers will be required to attend workshops and seminars focusing on child development, safety and health issues, emergency medical procedures, first aid and day-care curriculums.

Long said it's the first time Missouri has required such training. She said it will help the child-care industry develop a more professional image.

The requirements will help to assure a better quality of care for the state's children, she said, and may help to calm parents' anxiety over placing their children in another person's care.

After all, Long said, "they are turning over the most precious thing they have."