Boone County Commission News Release

Boone County Commission Appoints Ami Hayse as New Director of Public Safety Childcare Center

COLUMBIA, Mo. (June 10, 2025) - The Boone County Commission is pleased to announce Ami Hayse has been appointed as Director of the new Public Safety Childcare Center beginning Monday, June 16, 2025. Construction of the Boone County Public Safety Childcare Center is set to begin this summer; the Center is projected to open by midyear 2026.

Hayse brings almost two decades of experience in early childhood education, organizational leadership, and administrative management. For the past 10 years, Hayse served as the Preschool Director at College Park Christian Preschool in Columbia.

"Ami's experience in both early childhood development and organizational leadership make her the ideal choice to lead this new and essential initiative," said Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick. "Her dedication to building strong educational foundations and her ability to lead with empathy and efficiency will be a tremendous asset to building this much-needed program for our public safety staff and their families."

While the Center is under construction, Hayse will play a key role in establishing the operations, developing policies, hiring and building a team, developing an early childhood education curriculum and nutritional program, and collaborating on future expansion of the Center. She will also work closely with stakeholders regarding policy development, programs, and feedback.

The Boone County Public Safety Childcare Center, an approximately 10,000-square-foot facility, will provide extended access to childcare for first responders within Boone County Government. The Center will initially include approximately 5,000 square feet in finished space on the main level and 5,000 square feet of unfinished space in a walkout basement to accommodate future expansion of the facility. The Center is thought to be the first purpose-built public safety childcare center in the nation.

Access to and the availability of affordable childcare is at crisis level across the nation. This is exacerbated for first responders due to atypical, unpredictable schedules and the typically limited hours of most childcare centers. Through the construction of the Public Safety Childcare Center, Boone County hopes to address the challenge of finding childcare for its first responders, including Joint Communications dispatchers, Sheriff’s law enforcement, and detention officers.

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