Mississippi
Working families in Mississippi need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in Mississippi. But too many working families in Mississippi are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the Mississippi economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 214k children ages 5 and under in Mississippi – 65% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in Mississippi is around $8,186.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 21% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.
On average, child care providers in Mississippi earn just $21,400 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
Mississippi’s economy loses $659M annually due to child care challenges
MISSISSIPPI: In The Headlines
Without child care, there won’t be enough workers
Daily Journal | March 16, 2024
The issue is clear if you understand the child care industry. First and foremost, there are not enough child care teachers working in the child care centers across the country, and Mississippi is no exception.
Lack of affordable, accessible childcare harms families, the economy
Mississippi Business Journal | March 7, 2024
The country’s lack of affordable and accessible childcare shortchanges children, costs the American economy billions of dollars a year, stymies women professionally and is pushing families to the breaking point.
Mississippi child care workers barely earn ‘survival wages’
The Hechinger Report | January 11, 2024
Mississippi child care workers are strained by low pay and lack of training but an additional $5 an hour in salary would prompt around half of those workers to stay in their jobs and to seek additional education, according to a new survey.
Mississippi Resources & News
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