About Us The Mississippi First team is a group of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to promote the mission of Mississippi First.
Our Focus Areas At Mississippi First, we lead change by advancing ideas through the policy continuum. We are a leading voice for high-quality early education, high-quality public charter schools, access to highly effective teachers and leaders, and creating a future for public schools.
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Our Work Mississippi First is a policy organization. We work closely with elected officials to pass legislation that will increase educational excellence for kids.
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News & Updates Stay informed with the latest updates, stories, and perspectives on our work to advance educational excellence in Mississippi.
Take Action Check out the various ways to get involved below and help us increase access to high-quality public education in Mississippi.

About the Early Learning Collaborative Program

The Early Learning Collaborative Act, Mississippi’s state-funded pre-K program, reaches more than 20% of four-year-olds in Mississippi and provides pre-K teachers the support to ensure quality.

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Our Goals for Early Education

Pre-K

Expand and improve Mississippi’s premier state-funded pre-K program.

Layered Funding Programs

Expand access to early education programs using layered funding.

Financial Sustainability

Develop policies for sustainable early childhood education funding.

Quality Improvement and Support System

Support the implementation of an equitable quality improvement and support system.

Data System

Support data best practices for child and state program data.

Types of Early Education Programs in Mississippi

Early Learning Collaboratives

Serve 4-Year-Olds

Early Learning Collaboratives (ELCs), our state-funded pre-K programs, currently operate in 40 communities and serve over 6,000 students. ELCs involve many partners, including school districts, Head Starts, and licensed childcare providers. These partners commit to working together to provide high-quality pre-K to Mississippi’s four-year-olds. Collaboratives are overseen by the Mississippi Department of Education, even though individual providers may also have other oversight agencies.

Early Learning Collaboratives

Early Head Start & Head Start

Serve Toddlers Under the Age of 3 & 3-5-Year-Olds

Early Head Start and Head Start are programs of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. They provide comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and family engagement services to low-income children and their families. Every county in Mississippi has at least one Head Start center.

Licensed Childcare for Very Young Children

Serve 0-5-Year-Olds

A licensed childcare program provides supervised care to children of any age for which the facility is licensed by the State Department of Health. Examples include childcare programs located in church facilities, private businesses, or private residences. Some Head Start centers must also be licensed, if not affiliated with an educational institution such as a public school. Licensed childcare programs can also serve older children through summer programs and before and after school care.

Other Public School Pre-K Programs

Serve 4-Year-Olds

These other pre-K programs are operated by a Mississippi public school district. Districts may offer six types of other public school pre-K programs, if they choose, categorized mainly by their funding source and its related restrictions, including Title I, local district, tuition-based, blended, hybrid, or externally funded programs.

Find related Resources

Go to the Publication Library

Mississippi Charter Parent Focus Groups 2024-25

In the fall of 2024, Mississippi First contracted with SHARED Strategy Group, LLC to facilitate focus groups composed of parents and guardians who have children in Mississippi charter schools. The focus groups explored why families chose charter schools, satisfaction with different aspects of the schools, and areas for improvement. This research followed up on a […]
Charter Schools

Evidence-Based Interventions to Leverage MSFF Funds

Mississippi First is excited to announce the release of our newest brief: Evidence-Based Interventions to Leverage MSFF Funds.  In 2024, the Mississippi Legislature passed the Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF), ushering in a new approach to public school funding. Under the MSFF, the majority of school districts receive more state funding than they did through the […]
Future of Schools

Toolkit: How to Start an Early Learning Collaborative

This toolkit focuses on starting a state-funded early learning collaborative (ELC) program. Learn about the different types of state-funded pre-K programs and what steps you should take when considering starting a specific program. Being able to operate a state-funded collaborative pre-K program is dependent on state funding appropriated by the legislature. The application process for […]
Early Education

Early Education: Policy Vision

Learn about the five policy priorities for early education in Mississippi that we believe will create a stable and interconnected early childhood system for families, children, and educators.
Early Education

2024 Pre-K in Mississippi: Briefing Book

Mississippi First's "2024 Pre-K in Mississippi: Briefing Book" analyzes the state's pre-kindergarten programs, covering history, types, costs, and improvements.
Early Education

2023 Public Perception of Early Childhood Education in Mississippi

Survey insights into Mississippians' views on early childhood education and its role in shaping children's futures.
Early Education

2023 Public Perception of Charter Schools in Mississippi

Research on how Mississippi residents perceive charter schools and their impact on education.
Charter Schools

2021 State of Pre-K

A detailed analysis of public and non-public pre-K access in Mississippi in 2017-2018.
Early Education

2020 Public Perception of Charter Schools in Mississippi

Analysis of evolving attitudes toward charter schools in Mississippi over time.
Charter Schools

2019 Public Perception of Charter Schools in Mississippi

Survey findings on Mississippi residents' opinions about charter schools and their role in public education.
Charter Schools

2017 State of Pre-K

Examination of Mississippi’s pre-kindergarten programs, focusing on accessibility, quality, and recommendations for growth.
Early Education

Toolkit: How To Start A Blended Pre-K Program

Blended pre-K models allow communities to offer more high-quality pre-K seats without creating additional financial burdens. By strategically using federal and state funds, school districts and Head Start grantees can increase teacher pay, enhance classroom resources, and improve early learning outcomes all while expanding access to families. Who Should Use This Toolkit? School district leaders and superintendents exploring pre-K expansion. […]
Early Education

Falling Behind: Teacher Compensation and the Race Against Inflation

A year after the historic raise, Mississippi continues to see high levels of teacher turnover. We turned back to our reliable tool, surveying teachers, to confirm our hypothesis that record inflation, which reached a peak in 2022, was cutting into the gains promised by the teacher salary increase. With the 2022-2023 Mississippi Teacher Survey, we […]
Teachers and Leaders

Transforming Pre-K in Mississippi: The Story of the Early Learning Collaborative Act

In 2013, Mississippi First co-authored the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013, establishing the first state-funded pre-K program in Mississippi. Transforming Pre-K in Mississippi tells the remarkable story of the early learning collaboratives after a decade of national sucess and looks to their future in Mississippi. Authors Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008-2025 Micayla Tatum, Director […]
Early Education

Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover and What We Can Do About It

“Eyeing the Exit: Teacher Turnover and What We Can Do About It” provides a nuanced look at which Mississippi teachers are leaving the classroom and why. Central to the report is our examination of attrition risk and teachers’ standard of living to make the case that financial insecurity drives teachers’ desire to exit the classroom […]
Teachers and Leaders

How to Start a Title I Funded Pre-K Program

Mississippi First began publishing a How To Start A Pre-K Series in 2018. How To Start A Title I Funded Pre-K Program is the second in the series used to advocate increased access to pre-K in Mississippi. Authors Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008-2025 Angela Bass, Deputy Director of Policy, 2014-2019
Early Education

Understanding District and State Testing in Mississippi

This report uses field research on testing practices in four diverse Mississippi school districts to determine how many tests Mississippi students take and how much time they spend taking those tests. Authors Angela Bass, Deputy Director of Policy, 2014-2019 Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008-2025
Future of Schools

Mississippi Voices: Public Perception of Pre-K-12 Education in Mississippi

In 2016, Mississippi First, in collaboration with the Survey Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University (SRL), developed a survey to measure public opinion in Mississippi on a wide selection of education topics, including school quality, accountability, charter schools, school funding, and early education. The report of the findings was published in 2017. Authors Rachel Canter, […]
Future of Schools

Leaving Last in Line

As any fourth grader knows, last in line is an awful place to be. But for Mississippi’s public school fourth graders, last in line in reading and math achievement isn’t a once-in-a-while woe; it is a recurring nightmare. Mississippi has tied for last nearly every year on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), also […]
Early Education

Title I Pre-K Preliminary Report

This report, released in late 2012, was the predecessor to Mississippi First’s ground-breaking State of Pre-K series. It examined school districts’ use of Title I dollars to support pre-K for four-year-olds in the 2011-2012 school year. Author Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008-2025
Early Education

Voices of the Shortage: 2022 Mississippi Teacher Survey

In our previous report, Nothing in the Pipes: Educator Crisis in Mississippi, we explained how the rising cost of college attendance and the declining value of teaching salaries may be squeezing aspiring new teachers out of the pipeline. To build on that analysis, we surveyed 6,496 Mississippi teachers to establish the state’s most comprehensive resource for understanding […]
Teachers and Leaders

Pandemic Impact on Early Learning Collaboratives

Authors Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008 – 2025 MacKenzie Stroh Hines, Chief of Staff, 2013-2023
Early Education

The Future of Schools: Policy Vision

Mississippi First believes now is the moment for policymakers to begin thinking about new ideas for public schools as we—slowly—begin exiting the pandemic. This document outlines three new policy ideas for the future of schooling in Mississippi that we believe will support families, educators, and students while also improving education. Authors Rachel Canter, Executive Director, […]
Future of Schools

Learning From The Moment

Districts have always been tasked with building community and ensuring student safety while in the classroom. Now, the stakes are even higher as districts continue to recover from the disruption of the pandemic. Effective communication with families and students is critical to helping districts move forward. Authors MacKenzie Stroh Hines, Chief of Staff, 2013-2023 Aerial […]
Future of Schools

One-to-One Implementation Guide: Establishing Your District’s One-to-One Technology Initiative

Mississippi schools have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Every student now has access to a device, and the state is working to expand broadband access. These circumstances make it the right time for districts to establish a one-to-one technology initiative. Mississippi First developed this guide as a roadmap to ensuring your technology program has a lasting legacy. […]
Future of Schools

Nothing in the Pipes: Educator Crisis in Misssissippi

In recent years, a new problem in a decades-old challenge has emerged: the number of new Mississippi teachers has sharply declined, exacerbating the teacher shortage and threatening the success of public education in Mississippi. In this investigation, Mississippi First examines the state of Mississippi’s educator pipeline, specifically how the number and diversity of candidates completing […]
Teachers and Leaders

Keeping the Promise

In 2015, Mississippi First published two policy briefs in the Keeping the Promise series. These briefs provided recommendations to improve the law and provided insight into how Mississippi could increase independent charter schools. Authors Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008-2025 Angela Bass, Deputy Director of Policy, 2014-2019
Charter Schools

2015 State of Pre-K

Mississippi First released The State of Public Pre-Kindergarten in Mississippi in 2015 as a follow-up to the Title I Preliminary Report. It provided more detailed programmatic and contextual data about public school pre-K programs and the communities they served in 2011-2012. Authors Rachel Canter, Executive Director, 2008-2025 Angela Bass, Deputy Director of Policy, 2014-2019
Early Education

Browse All News & Updates

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December 02, 2025

Supporting Mississippi Students

At Mississippi First, we believe that education has the power to change lives, so we have dedicated over ten years…

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Preschool Development Grant in Mississippi

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Child Care and Development Block Grant in Mississippi

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