Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Human Services:
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care’s recent report on American Rescue Plan Stabilization Grant outlays, Mississippi is in the top 3 states in the nation with a 100 percent outlay of American Rescue Plan Act Stabilization funds, as of August 1, 2022.
Mississippi's child care industry is critical to Mississippi's workforce and continued K-12 educational improvement. The pandemic hit the child care industry extremely hard, losing 1 out of 7 jobs. Many providers struggled to keep their doors open while supporting working families.
In February 2022, the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) awarded over $320 million in stabilization grants to child care providers called Child Care Strong (CCS). Child Care Strong provided financial and technical assistance to child care providers transitioning their services to pre-pandemic operating levels.
By August 2022, 87 percent of Mississippi Child Care Strong Grant recipients have received all allocated payments. MDHS awarded over $354 million dollars to 1,114 providers, serving over 83,000 Mississippi children.
Child care providers utilized stabilization grants to cover a range of expenses such as personnel costs, rent or mortgage payments, facility maintenance and improvements, personal protective equipment, training, and professional development; mental health supports to staff for children and early educators, and reimbursement of costs associated with the current public health emergency.
Child Care Strong funds were also utilized to expand facilities, services, and curriculum to meet future child care enrollment and quality standards.
Bobbie White, Imaginarium Learning Center in Drew, MS, stated, "I really don't know where to start! I feel blessed to receive funds from the Child Care Strong Grant. These funds will enable me to update my entire facility with new classroom furniture, new kitchen appliances needed, educational materials and equipment, electronics and repairs needed for my building, along with salary increases for staff, health and safety equipment, and supplies needed for a safe environment."
Throughout the Child Care Strong grant cycle, MDHS' Division of Early Childhood Care and Development (DECCD) disbursed funds to providers in six equal payments while processing monthly accountability reports from 1,072 providers. DECCD responded to over 10,000 emails, provided 60 technical support sessions, and held 12 trainings and Q&A sessions.
In addition to MDHS staff hosted training sessions, child care industry experts from across the state assisted providers by hosting application training and information sharing sessions. MDHS is grateful for the partnerships of Dr. Cathy Grace and Dr. Kenya Wolff, Co-Directors of the North MS Education Consortium, for hosting Child Care Strong application training sessions, Ms. Latoya Hadley, in conjunction with the MS Early Learning Alliance, for hosting Child Care Strong application training sessions, and Ms. Carol Burnett, Executive Director of the MS Low-Income Child-Care Initiative (MLICCI), for hosting virtual Question and Answer sessions on Child Care Strong.
MDHS has received positive feedback regarding the long-term benefits of the Child Care Strong Grants.
According to Ora Guinn of Vicksburg, MS, this grant was able to give their Center the support it needed. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for their hard work and support. I was able to provide all the children in our centers almost everything they needed to support their education and provide for my staff as well."
While managing Child Care Strong disbursements, the Division of Early Childhood Care and Development staff continued to operate the Child Care Payment Plan, providing vouchers to over 20,000 children per month. Monthly CCPP disbursements averaged over $12 million paid to providers on behalf of Mississippi children. Follow-up monitoring and validation of providers’ spending of these grant funds continues at this time.
"Child care is essential to the future of Mississippi. Widespread accessibility of quality child care strengthens families, enriches learning, and undergirds our workforce. Parents and guardians are encouraged to apply for the child care payment plan voucher for their child or dependent. MDHS is hopeful that additional child care providers will register to accept vouchers and serve Mississippi children," stated Robert G. (Bob) Anderson, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Human Services.
The Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) provides tuition assistance to qualifying parents and guardians who need help with child care. Parents can select child care providers from a list. To learn more about Applications, grant schedules, and additional eligibility requirements are available at Child Care Strong - Mississippi Department of Human Services (ms.gov)
