MS LIFT Information
Mississippi Lift is a Learning Investment for Tomorrow!
Read below to learn how we are equipping families, communities, and child care providers to offer our most vulnerable children better educational opportunities and resources.
MS LIFT Resource and Referral Network
Formerly known as Child Care Resource and Referral Centers (R&Rs)
R&Rs help parents find child care by referring them to local child care providers statewide. They help child care providers by offering training and resources at no cost.
The MS LIFT Resource and Referral Network services include:
Lending libraries that allow families and providers to access age-appropriate learning materials, at no cost to them
Helping families and caregivers in identifying high-quality services
Providing developmental screenings to children ages 0-5
Offering assistance and professional development to child care providers
The MS LIFT Resource and Referral Network locations are all over the state and are run in partnership with MDHS DECCD, Delta Health Alliance, and Mississippi State University Extension. These locations serve as community hubs for family units and child care facilities. At these hubs, there are free resources to aid in appropriate developmental play for children ages birth to five. If a family needs further assistance, maybe in developmental screenings and such, our Family Navigators and R&R staff are available to make the appropriate referral to fit each child’s needs. It is the goal of MDHS DECCD and its partners to continue to grow this network to provide more resources to rural and underserved communities across Mississippi, and we have launched mobile R&R units!
ELEVATE: A Quality Support System and Professional Development
lift-ED is an exciting new professional development system designed to support early childhood educators, and it is an integral part of the robust ELEVATE: a Quality Support System that is being introduced across the state on October 1, 2024. lift-ED provides a single registration point for all MDHS funded professional development opportunities. Additionally, lift-ED will generate transcripts for completed training and professional resumes for all individuals using the system. For administrators, lift-ED provides a way to monitor all the training hours earned by all staff to ensure annual training requirements are met.
Family Navigators
The Family Navigators (FN) plays an essential role in the community for families with children aged from birth to 5 years old. They offer support, empowerment, and advocacy by providing families with information, education, and access to community resources. The FN offers peer support and mentoring to help families succeed. They work as part of a team and coordinate with other program staff to encourage family engagement and help families achieve their goals. The FN provides services to families based on their needs in community-based settings and they are located all over the state of Mississippi. Additionally, lift-ED will generate transcripts for completed training and professional resumes for all individuals using the system. For administrators, lift-ED provides a way to monitor all the training hours earned by all staff to ensure annual training requirements are met.
Trainer Information
The Professional Development team at MDHS DECCD is dedicated to providing professional development classes to child care centers, that not only provide high-quality sessions for early childhood professionals to gain their required contact hours, but most importantly, they are dedicated to directing early childhood professionals on a path to continuously move toward high-quality care for the children and families they serve. These trainers are strategically located across Mississippi to serve all counties. They can be contacted through the local MS LIFT Resource and Referral Network locations.
QSS Observers
QSS Observers are vital members of the ELEVATE: Quality Support System team. These individuals are trained and certified to go into the field to work with child care providers in obtaining their badges.
