MELA drives collective impact with diverse stakeholders to achieve systemic change leading to the holistic development of Mississippi children in their first 8 years of life.
The first 8 years of a child’s life are critically important.
During their first years of life, children’s brains and bodies are growing and changing rapidly. Brain development during their early years, paired with the cognitive, social and emotional skills they learn at the same time, will influence their lifelong health and success. The first 8 years of a child’s life can build the foundation for future learning, health, and economic stability.
When our children thrive, our state will thrive.
We believe that improving outcomes for children is a public issue for which everyone is responsible. The holistic development of Mississippi’s children is the single most important accomplishment we can achieve to improve the quality of life in our state.
Working together is the only way to make lasting change.
We believe that the most impactful change can happen when two things happen: first, decision-makers must engage with parents, early childhood professionals, and other community members to understand the complexities of their lives. Second, a diverse group of stakeholders – state leaders, practitioners, business leaders, subject matter experts, and more – must work together to create and implement solutions that meet the needs of children and families in Mississippi.
Latest News, Events & Resources
Take Action: Use Our Early Childhood Development Capitol Day Resources
Find resources and videos from Early Childhood Development Capitol Day 2022
Childcare Providers May Apply for Child Care Strong Grants through January 31, 2022.
As of Wednesday, December 1, licensed or registered childcare providers in Mississippi can apply for Child Care Strong Grants. These grants come from federal American Rescue Plan funding, and are…
MDHS Announces Child Care Strong Grants
Recently, MDHS shared the process for applying for Child Care Stabilization funds, called Child Care Strong in Mississippi! MELA wanted to make the eligibility process easy to understand, so we…
Faith Leaders: Celebrate Mississippi Children’s Sabbath with Us!
Children’s Sabbath is a national, multi-faith event that asks places of worship across the country to spend a week focusing their prayers, worship, education programs, and acts of service on…
Progress Report: Read Our First Annual Report!
The Annual Report is designed to summarize our activities and accomplishments over the past 18 months (January 2020 – July 2021), as well as forecast some of our upcoming projects and initiatives.
Mississippi State Plan Summary
On July 1, 2021, the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) will submit their three-year State Plan for how Mississippi will use Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program funding….