CHILD CARE FINANCING PROGRAM

verage child care fees in Mississippi are higher than tuition at our state colleges and universities. Mississippi has no state-funded early childhood program and federal funds for low-income child care assistance serve only a fraction of those income-eligible. One of MLICCI’s highest priorities is to increase subsidy funding to improve this bleak situation. We are investigating all possible revenue streams; educating policymakers about the importance of child care to the state’s economy and to the future of its children; training child care providers on how to run an effective business and apply for available funds; and disseminating information on funding sources.

Child Care Subsidy Research

After much pressure, the state is now meeting its state match requirement in CCDF and transferring 20% of our TANF grant into CCDF. If true, these actions significantly increase the amount of money available for subsidized child care. However, MS is still forfeiting millions of federal funds available for child care, which poor working families desparately need. MLICCI will continue to monitor this and other funding issues.

We partnered with the Mississippi Economic Policy Center to investigate all current revenue available for child care subsidies, as well as researching potential new funding streams that could be used for child care subsidies.

The research resulted in a report Broadening the Base: Strenghtening MS' Economy and Families Through A Strong Child Care System. It addresses topics that include:

• ensuring that MS is fully utilizing all federal
  CCDF and TANF child care funds;
• studying workforce support and economic development
  revenue, and identify partners to help advocate for making
  a portion of these funds available for child care.    TOP  »

EPC has published the MS Self-Sufficiency Standard for 2009 that identifies child care as the most beneficial work support for low-income working families.

"Where’s the Money?" Manual Updated

Funding sources for low-income child care centers in MS

MLICCI has updated the "Where's the Money?" manual for child care administrators. This popular guide offers information on how to identify and access currently available revenue streams for child care, as well as information about free resources for parents and employers. View a PDF copy of the manual.    TOP  »

Achieving Financial Stability

Business training for child care providers

There is little training or technical assistance (TA) available to low-income providers who need help with the "business" side of child care to achieve long-term sustainability. MLICCI is developing a specially designed training and TA to help low-income child care centers across the state acquire the business skills needed to attain financial stability.

MLICCI and the Mississippi Building Blocks (MBB) are working together to provide financial viability training and technical assistance to centers participating in the MBB program. Contact us for more information.    TOP  »

"Investing in Futures:
The Business of Child Care in Mississippi"

Child care in Mississippi is a big business. It creates jobs, enables citizens to work, generates tax dollars, and contributes to local economies. According to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the child care industry in Mississippi in 2001 directly generated or indirectly facilitated:

• 37,900 to 55,700 jobs
• $571 to $830 million in personal income
• $33.7 to $49 million in state general fund revenue.

MLICCI published Investing in Futures to underscore the importance of child care as an important business and economic development driver for all sectors in Mississippi. This four-page report quantifies child care’s critical role in the state’s economy. View a PDF copy of the report or read the press release.    TOP  »