Jimmie E. Gates

The Clarion-Ledger

The Mississippi Department of Human Services might end its contract with Mississippi State University for an early childhood program, which could lead to approximately 150 people losing jobs.

The Early Years Network program is housed in the MSU Extension Service and funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services Division of Early Childhood Care and Development to provide early care and education programs and materials for teachers, directors, children and families to help improve the well-being of Mississippi’s children.

“The funding contract between the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Department of Human Services is under review by that agency’s leadership and advisors to the Governor’s Office, which appoints the leadership at DHS," a statement issued by MSU spokesman Sid Salter said. “MSU’s senior administration and the leadership of both MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine and the MSU Extension Service are working to contribute positively to that agency review and to properly highlight the exemplary performance of the Extension Service in operating the Early Years Network to the benefit of Mississippi’s children.

“Negotiations are ongoing between the university and DHS to find the best path forward for this program and for the dedicated MSU staff members who have effectively served the cause of early childhood education in Mississippi.”

According to information obtained by The Clarion-Ledger, a meeting was convened Sept. 13 of all technical assistance employees under the Early Years Network. They were informed at the meeting of a letter from DHS Executive Director John Davis that the contract with MSU Extension Services would be terminated Dec. 31. No reason was given.

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The Clarion-Ledger contacted the Mississippi Department of Human Services for comment, but spokesman Paul Nelson sent an email instructing the newspaper to file a public records request, even though The Clarion-Ledger wasn't requesting any records.

Nelson later sent the following: "MDHS is currently working with our federal partners at the Office of Child Care (OCC) as well as Mississippi State University(MSU) to ensure compliance with new rules and regulations that have not been issued by OCC."

The Early Years Network is responsible for developing the voluntary Mississippi Child Care Quality Star Rating System, which some owners of child-care centers serving low-income residents have complained about. The rating system ranks centers on a one- to five-star scale, based upon program administration, professional qualifications of staff, child learning environment, family involvement and program evaluation.

In March, the Mississippi State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highly critical of the rating system and how the low-income child-care subsidy program is administered in Mississippi.

From the letter: “The Mississippi State Advisory Committee Memorandum found that far too many eligible children are not serviced by the subsidy program, and that the money that should support this eligible population of children is redirected elsewhere. While 124,426 children in Mississippi under the age of 6 were potentially eligible for Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funding in 2013, on average, only 18,300, or 14.7 percent, actually received this assistance each month. Eligibility meant to last a year in practical effect is reduced to anywhere between 13 and 260 days as a result of eligibility period re-determination standards which affect family financial stability and positive child development. The child support requirement aimed at single parents has a disparate impact on women. The Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) program which is purported to promote higher quality child care appears to instead penalize and costs so much that it excludes the participation of African-American owned and operated child-care facilities. Furthermore, the investigation also found that QRIS lacks written policies governing its implementation and does not provide a formal avenue for providers to contest their evaluations.”

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Supporters say the Early Years Network was created July 1, 2014, as a “one-stop shop” for Mississippi, meaning the network is the one central location for access to early care and education services in the state. The Early Years Network was created to make sure parents, providers and educators have access to a variety of services with one simple phone call to a central agency instead of having to call a variety of places for help.

The Early Years Network is responsible for:

Comprehensive training to educators working with children from birth to 3 years

The Quality Rating Improvement System, which supporters say raises the standard of quality for child-care centers

Offering the Child Development Associate Credential and the Mississippi Directors Credential, which are licensure requirements in Mississippi to operate a child-care center

Offering the National Directors Credential, which is recognized by national accreditation standards

Providing opportunities to receive the Special Needs Credential, which is important for providers working with children with special needs

Operating two mobile resource and referral units to serve isolated communities without access to learning materials

Offering comprehensive training to educators working with children in prekindergarten as well as educators working with school-age children

Since 2014, the Early Years Network has served:

5,500 early childhood educators

85 teen parents

2,300 parents in parenting programs

677 educators seeking early childhood education credentials

Contact Jimmie E. Gates at 601-961-7212 or jgates@jackson.gannett.com. Follow@jgatesnews on Twitter.