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 designed to help childcare providers with operating expenses. The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) is responsible for administering these grants. The application itself, as well as application guides, are available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese on MDHS’s Child Care Strong Stabilization Grants webpage.
Applications are due by January 31, 2022.
A few things to note before you apply:
- Make sure you’re eligible to receive funding. Providers should use this flow chart to see if they are eligible, and double check the additional eligibility information provided on the webpage.
- You must be registered for direct deposit in order to apply for funding or to receive funds from MDHS. If you are getting an “invalid” or “pending” message in the direct deposit portal, your application information will not transfer to MDHS. You need to have “active” status. All Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) providers should have received instructions for setting up direct deposit via email. All NON-CCPP providers should start the registration process using this online form. If you have trouble setting up direct deposit, or keep getting “invalid” or “pending” messages, email ccpayment@mdhs.ms.gov for assistance, or call 800-877-7882 (email is recommended).
- Calculate your monthly expenses for at least the last 3 months to get an average. Use the Family Child Care Expense Tracking Tool to align and track your monthly expenses according to the Child Care Strong allowable expense categories.
- Use the Child Care Strong Award Estimation Tool above to compare your estimated base rate to your average monthly expenses. You’ll need this information for the application. NOTE: Due to funding limitations, no base rate may exceed $400,000 total or $66,666.67 per month.
- When you apply, make sure the business information you put on the application (your business name, provider name, address, etc) matches exactly with the business information you provided to the Mississippi State Department of Health for licensing or registration.
- Email Childcarestrong@mdhs.ms.gov for help with any of these steps!