Mississippi First authored the Leaving Last in Line report and successfully advocated for the Early Learning Collaborative Act, which established state-funded pre-K in Mississippi in 2013.

Since 2013, the legislature has appropriated over $70M for the Early Learning Collaborative Act. With these funds, MDE has approved 35 early learning collaborative programs. 25% of four-year-olds across the state have access to high-quality state-funded pre-K as a result. The law also established a 1:1 tax credit for individuals and corporations that support the local matching fund of an approved early learning collaborative.

Early Learning Collaboratives

Early Learning Collaboratives are state-funded four-year-old pre-K programs that are required to meet high-quality standards.

Biloxi Early Learning CollaborativeGreenwood-Leflore County Early Learning CollaborativeKosciusko Early Learning CollaborativeMcComb Community Collaborative for Early Learning SuccessRankin County Early Learning Collaborative
Brookhaven Early Learning CollaborativeGrenada Early Learning CollaborativeLafayette-Oxford Early Learning CollaborativeMonroe Early Learning CollaborativeScott County Early Learning Collaborative
Clarke County Early Learning PartnershipHattiesburg Early Learning CollaborativeLamar County Early Learning CollaborativeNoxubee Early Learning CollaborativeSenatobia Early Learning Collaborative
Cleveland Early Learning CollaborativeHollandale Early Learning CollaborativeLeland Early Learning CollaborativePass Christian Early Learning CollaborativeSouth Panola County Early Learning Collaborative
Coahoma County Pre-K CollaborativeHolmes County Early Learning CollaborativeLong Beach Early Learning CollaborativePetal Early Learning CollaborativeStarkville Oktibbeha Early Learning Collaborative
Corinth-Alcorn-Prentiss Early Learning CollaborativeJackson Public Schools/Hinds Early Learning CollaborativeLowndes County Early Learning CollaborativePicayune School District Early Head StartSunflower County Early Learning Collaborative
George County Early Learning CollaborativeJefferson County Early Learning CollaborativeMarion County and Columbia Early Learning CollaborativePontotoc Pre-K Partners Early Learning CollaborativeTallahatchie Early Learning Collaborative

Do you want to start a pre-K program in your community?

We created two toolkits to help you start an Early Learning Collaborative or a Title I-Funded Pre-K program in your community.