Mississippi News
Mississippi doubles number of 4-year-olds in pre-K
Mississippi doubles number of 4-year-olds served in state-funded pre-K program
Mississippi will gain five new early learning collaboratives in August 2022 to serve more of the state‘s youngest learners.
On Thursday, the State Board of Education approved the additional collaboratives, which will serve 840 new 4-year-old students. These additions were the first to be approved in an expansion of the program that will double the number of students served.
Early learning collaboratives are pre-K programs made up of partnerships among school districts, Head Start agencies, childcare centers, and nonprofit groups. There are currently 18 collaboratives serving more than 3,000 children across the state.
These early learning collaboratives will be located in the Brookhaven School District, Kosciusko School District, Rankin County School District, Scott County School District, and South Panola School District, bringing the total number of early learning collaboratives across the state up to 23.
“When early learning collaboratives increase in Mississippi, it means more of our state’s preschoolers will have access to a quality early childhood education,” Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, said in a statement.
First created in 2013, the collaboratives have been nationally recognized for their high quality and success in preparing students for kindergarten. In 2019, 77% of students in collaboratives tested as kindergarten-ready, 8% higher than other state-funded pre-K programs.
However, the collaboratives have not been widely accessible in the past, serving only 8% of the state’s 4-year-olds in 2021.
The Legislature doubled funding for the collaboratives in the 2021 session, bringing the total state spending on the program up to $16 million. With this increase in funding, the Department of Education has begun approving new collaboratives and will be requesting more proposals in the coming weeks. Once this new funding has been fully allocated, the early learning collaboratives are expected to serve twice as many 4-year-olds.
“It’s thrilling that we have approved additional collaboratives,” said Rachel Canter, director of Mississippi First, a nonprofit that helped write the law to create the collaboratives. “Hopefully we’ll have even more communities approved by the end of the school year (to open in August), and I think MDE is on track to get there.”
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Missing Child Alert issued for two Jackson children
SUMMARY: A Missing/Endangered Child Alert has been issued for two children from Jackson, Mississippi. Aaron Lee Donley, 3, and Averie Ann Donley, 2, were last seen on September 17 around 3:30 p.m. in Hinds County, accompanied by Jennifer N. Garrett, who is 5’04”, 146 pounds, with red hair and hazel eyes. Authorities encourage anyone with information about their whereabouts to contact the Jackson Police Department at 601-960-1234 or 911. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is actively involved in the search for the children.
The post Missing Child Alert issued for two Jackson children appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
The National Hurricane Center monitors two disturbances
SUMMARY: Rainfall and thunderstorms persist in the central tropical Atlantic as the remnants of Hurricane Gordon move north, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The system is anticipated to engage with a non-tropical low, potentially forming a tropical depression or storm later this week, with a 60% chance of development in the next seven days. Additionally, a low-pressure area located in the northwestern Caribbean Sea may develop over the weekend, with a 20% chance of formation as it moves north into early next week.
The post The National Hurricane Center monitors two disturbances appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Capitol police investigate after one critically injured in shooting
SUMMARY: Capitol police in Jackson, Mississippi, are investigating a shooting that left one person critically injured early Wednesday morning, September 18. The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. near Alexander Street. The victim, who remains unidentified, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Authorities continue to gather information regarding the circumstances of the incident as the investigation unfolds.
The post Capitol police investigate after one critically injured in shooting appeared first on www.wjtv.com
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