Mississippi LIFT
Mississippi LIFT is a Learning Investment for Tomorrow
What is Mississippi LIFT?
Mississippi LIFT is a Learning Investment for Tomorrow.
MS LIFT is a by-product of the federally-funded Preschool Development Renewal Grant Birth to Age 5 (PDG B-5). What started as an awareness campaign has now evolved into a brand that will carry on after the funding for the grant is completed and the work that we have begun continues.
We are equipping our family systems, communities, and child care providers to offer to our most vulnerable children better education opportunities and resources.
Mississippi LIFT provides training opportunities for Mississippi child care workers with incentives to keep them in the profession.
Additionally, we continue to support our family systems and communities with free resources for at-home learning and child care support.
As federally grant funded, MS LIFT has activities that benefit all children and families in Mississippi.
How is MS LIFT answering the call?
Together with our partners, the Division of Early Childhood Care and Development within the Mississippi Department of Human Services is helping children find their wings by answering the following questions:
How are we unifying the state's early childhood education professional development system?
MDHS DECCD has partnered with WELS to provide a robust professional development website (lift-ED) to help child care providers build portfolios and see what training is available, where and when.
How are we cultivating careers and professional development for early childhood education professionals?
MDHS DECCD provides monetary incentives for child care providers to keep them in the early childhood profession. A short, but thorough, application has been developed to allow us to streamline this process and build a better workforce.
How are we advancing information to low-resourced populations?
We are targeting areas in the state where we identify a child care desert, and we are working to develop ways for these areas to get quality, affordable child care, either in the home or within a child care center.
How are we securing accountability and quality?
Over the next three years, MDHS DECCD will be rolling out a new, robust Quality Support System that will empower not only child care providers to advance professionally, but it will also empower families to select facilities that best meet their needs when it comes to care.
How are we providing a voice to parents and families?
Not only is MDHS DECCD hosting town hall meetings with child care providers, we are also hosting family coalitions across the state in strategic areas to give parents a chance to lend their voices to help influence the decisions made on what is available to them. These coalitions are open for any parent/caretaker to attend. Family Navigators and DECCD leadership will be in attendance to listen and provide assistance and guidance where necessary. Still, our mission is to make decisions with our child care providers and our families because they are the ones most impacted by the work of MS LIFT.
We are building quality from the foundation!
What badge are providers currently working for?
The Educational Interaction Badge
The Educational Interaction Badge indicates that a child care program provides positive, educational interactions between their teachers and children enrolled in their programs. This badge is earned through an evidence and research-based observation tool that is used nationwide to assess teachers in child care and Pre-K classrooms.
View the MS LIFT calendar below for upcoming activities in Mississippi!
Mississippi Thrive Update
As this website transitions to feature the activities of Mississippi LIFT, the resources and products of the five-year Child Health and Development Project: Mississippi Thrive! will remain accessible to families, teachers, healthcare providers, and other early childhood professionals, thanks to continued funding from the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ Early Childhood Care and Development Division.
