Mississippi First Seventh

Mississippi First Seventh

Of the nine states with small or no state-funded preschool programs that submitted applications to the U.S. Department of Education and Health and Human Services for a Preschool Development Grant, the application developed by Mississippi First and MDE (Mississippi Department of Education) scored seventh.

Preschool Development Grants were designed to support states to build, develop, and expand voluntary, high-quality preschool programs for children from low- and moderate-income families.

Awards were given to states that demonstrated an achievable plan.

Mississippi was not funded.

December 10, 2014, Jeff Amy of the Associated Press reported, “Mississippi misses out on federal preschool money – again”.   (Click here to read.)

“State Board of Education member Danny Spreitler of Amory, who runs a foundation active in expanding and improving child care in Monroe County, said the loss was ‘demoralizing.’”

Child care programs know a thing or two about that!

For many of us, the entire Mississippi First and MDE plan was “demoralizing”.  We believe, as has become the alleged pattern and practice of Pre-K Collaborative policy makers, the plan marginalized private child care programs and demonstrated little more than an unspoken desire to remove children from licensed child care by creating “new slots” in a public school system recently rated fiftieth in the Nation.  See: “Remove 3134 Children from Licensed Child Care?”  (Click here to read.)

Rationalizations (insults to our intelligence) for such an approach supported strongly by the Pre-K Collaborative members included an invitation for child care to participate by attending trainings from MDE.

All due respect, but child care providers already receive expert training in early learning from an agency with highly qualified staff – Mississippi State Extension-Family and Consumer Sciences.  The Canter plan should have proposed MDE contract or partner with Extension for training in order to gain the early learning expertise it needs to guide early learning policy.

By it’s own admission, and as demonstrated by the qualifications and experience of newly appointed MDE Pre-K staff members – now under the direction of former DECCD Director Jill Dent, who left MDHS under a cloud of highly controversial, failed Program policy– there are entirely too few qualified early learning professionals upon which to build a competent Pre-K Program as outlined in Mississippi’s Preschool Development Grant submission.

Another rationalization was the position that one of the mere six licensed child care programs currently receiving Pre-K Collaborative funding from the state would not have been able to remain in business if they had not be afforded the opportunity to provide services for the children age four it had managed “to keep” as a result of rare Pre-K inclusion and therefore, the plan was developed with the best interests of the child care industry in mind.

However, such a statement is an admission of fact that existing child care programs – many under the radar, already, quietly providing high quality, full day/full year programs without any Pre-K Collaborative Funding whatever from this state – would be adversely and disparately impacted – even “out of business” – if placed in a position only to compete with (and not be invited to participate as an equitable partner in) tuition free programs for children age four.

We didn’t buy into the Pre-K Collaborative hype.  Apparently, neither did the grant reviewers for the U.S. Department of Education and Health and Human Services who stated:

“The proposal describes coordination of state funded preschool programs with Head Start and programs that are funded partially or totally by Title 1. There are no details about partnerships with current providers of Part C and Section 619 services in the communities or how this proposal would coordinate with the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.”

“While the State provided an ambitious plan for increasing the number of slots available starting in grant year one, it was unclear if the State will have the infrastructure and resources in place to support the influx in slots in the year the State proposed to add 2425 slots, which would translate to approximately 120 new classrooms. Also, it was not explicitly stated in the proposal how the State would ensure the availability of certified teachers and assistants for these classrooms.”

It might even be said that in relation to the early learning submissions presented by other southern states which have been funded, the policies, plans and grant proposals for Preschool development drafted by Mississippi First consultants are, on a national level, “subpar”.

Yet, without any mention of a review, evaluation or amendment of the failed submission, and void resounding input from the child care industry, State Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, who spearheaded the Mississippi Early Learning Collaborative Act and refers to Rachel Canter of Mississippi First as his “policy person” said losing the federal grant shouldn’t affect continuing efforts to expand (this poorly scored state plan reflecting) the current policy and practice of Mississippi’s Pre-K Collaboration.

There is specific work to be done and specific policy to be put into place in order for Mississippi to successfully secure the needed federal funds for preschool development, but it is probably foolish to expect that leadership to rise out of those associated with the development of Mississippi’s 2014 Preschool Development Grant proposal.

It is believed, however, the state will benefit from millions in awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to local groups to expand Head Start partnerships with local child care providers to take care of infants and toddlers.

So, we wait for child care to “bring home the bacon”.

How ironic!