• Every state has its own laws in place regarding child labor. These laws protect youths from engaging in dangerous occupations and regulate hours to ensure employment does not interfere with their education. Missouri's child labor laws pertain to children under the age of 16. Anyone with questions about Missouri child labor laws should contact the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
  
  

Legal Age of Employment

• Missouri restricts employment of any child under the age of 14. Some exceptions do exist, such as working under direct supervision of a parent.
  
  

Working Hours

• The state of Missouri restricts the work hours of children aged 14 and 15, and acceptable hours depend on the time of the year. From Labor Day to June 1, children cannot work more than three hours on a school day or eight hours on a non-school day. They cannot work more than six days a week. Law restricts employment between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From June 1 to Labor Day, children under 16 cannot work more than eight hours a day, six days a week or 40 hours per week. Acceptable working hours fall between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.
  
  

Work Certificates

• Youth between the ages of 14 and 15 must get a work certificate from the school district superintendent to work during the school year. Labor law does not require this for summer jobs, though some employers may want children to procure one. In order to obtain the certificate, the child must present written parental consent to be employed, proof of age and a certificate from the school principal listing the student's grades.
  
  

Prohibited Employment

• Children under 16 years of age cannot work in certain occupations. Examples include, but are not limited to, door to door sales, working with power machinery, establishments that sell alcohol unless at least 50 percent of gross sales come from the sale of other goods, mining and operating any kind of motor vehicle.