MELA Annual Report 2024-2025
Exploring the milestones and momentum in MELA’s 2025 Annual Report
Sold-Out “Big Voices for Little Children” Luncheon with Morgan Freeman Highlights Urgent Need to Prioritize Infant and Toddler Well-Being
JACKSON, Miss. – Ensuring that Mississippi’s infants and toddlers have what they need to thrive was the focus of a sold-out luncheon, Big Voices for Little Children, hosted by the…
Inaugural Fundraising Luncheon
The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) is proud to announce our inaugural fundraising event, Big Voices for Little Children, sponsored by TrueCare, taking place on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. at the…
Bridging The Gaps
Bridging the Gaps: Insights from Mississippi Parents and Early Childhood Leaders At the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA), we believe that a strong early childhood system is essential for the…
Join the Advocacy Council!
Mississippi’s children deserve a strong start—and your voice can help make that possible. The Mississippi Early Childhood Advocacy Council brings together parents, caregivers, early educators, health professionals, and community advocates who…
Lunch & Learn: Child Care Business Tax Credit Returns on June 24th
We had an incredible response to our May Virtual Lunch & Learn — thank you to everyone who joined us! If you weren’t able to attend (or want a quick…
Lunch & Learn: Child Care Business Tax Credit – May 2025
JOIN US ON MAY 27, 202512:00pm – 1:00pm On the last Tuesday of May, the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance will be hosting an hour Virtual Lunch & Learn to discuss the…
Mississippi Passes Landmark Paid Family Leave Legislation for State Employees
Historic legislation and the state leaders who championed it celebrated by a coalition of organizations dedicated to child and maternal well-being. JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi families are celebrating a major…
What’s Happening at the Capitol: March Mississippi Prenatal to Five Update
https://youtu.be/0paMjoFMqNs Over the past few days there have been several legislative deadlines— here’s a short recap of what made it out of committees, and what is dead related to Prenatal…
MELA Unveils Calculator to Quantify Economic Impact of Child Care Challenges on Mississippi Companies and New Resource Guide to Help Businesses Unlock Child Care Tax Credits
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mar. 4, 2025 Contact: Biz HarrisExecutive Director662-380-3197biz@msearlylearning.org JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI – Today, the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) launches two tools to help businesses address the growing challenge…
2025 Early Childhood Capitol Day
We are so thrilled for the amount of people that have RSVP’d for the morning tracks that we reached max capacity! It is all because of your amazing support of…
MELA Reflects on 2024
Dear Partners and Friends, As we enter the new year, we at the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) want to reflect and celebrate all the ways we supported our partners…
What’s Happening at the Capitol: A Mississippi Prenatal to Five Update
https://youtu.be/4dvahk67xDs There has been a lot of activity at the Capital this fall, so we wanted to send a quick video update for those of you who may not have…
MS Forum For the Future Quarterly Newsletter – October 2024
Fall is in the air, and a fresh sense of renewal and opportunity comes with it. As the leaves begin to change, we are excited to share some new and…
MS Forum For the Future’s Advocacy Coalition
Alexis HicksAdvocacy & PolicyDirector Birth-to-Three Advocacy Coalition of Mississippi Recognizing the importance of early childhood education and development outcomes, the Mississippi Forum For the Future is proud to announce the…
Child Care: A Critical Piece of Mississippi’s Labor Force Puzzle
Mississippi’s labor force participation challenges have been a topic of increasing focus among economic researchers, media, and state officials. The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance released a new report, titled “Child…
State of Babies in Mississippi
MS Forum For the Future’s State of Babies in Mississippi Registration is now open for the Mississippi Forum For the Future’s State of Babies in Mississippi on August 27, 2024….
Progress Report 2024: Explore MELA’s 4th Annual Report
We are excited to present our fourth Annual Report! MELA releases an Annual Report each year to highlight the progress we made over the course of the previous fiscal year,…
February 6th: Early Childhood Capitol Day
On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA), along with the members from the Mississippi Forum for the Future (FFtF), will host the fifth annual Mississippi Early…
FFtF’s 2023 Teachers’ Wages Survey Results
JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Forum for the Future (FFtF), a coalition dedicated to ensuring Mississippi’s child care system is state of the art by 2023, launched a groundbreaking report today…
Mississippi Business Tax Credits
Mississippi businesses have a $557 million problem – and if we utilize all the tools at our disposal – I think we can solve it. But first, I want to…
2022-2023 Annual Report
MELA presents the third annual progress report for the 2022-2023 reporting year. The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) was created to build, strengthen, and support coalitions to advocate for systems…
MELA is thrilled to introduce two new teammates to our coalition partners
The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) is excited to announce two new members to the MELA team, Alexis Hicks and Mindy Phillips. Both Phillips and Hicks bring vital experience and…
Childcare Teachers! Share your Input!
A group of child care advocates, researchers, and providers with the Mississippi Forum for the Future is seeking the input of child care teachers regarding their wages using a survey. The goal of…
Reflections on the Forum for the Future Summit
We are grateful to all our Forum for the Future Summit attendees, partners, and speakers who made this event a success! Read on for reflections, resources, and next steps.
Where are they now? Read updates on our Early Childhood Capitol Day 2023 policy recommendations.
On Capitol Day, we shared four specific policy recommendations with lawmakers and the public. We’re excited to share that we’ve made progress across all four! Read on for specific updates.
Mississippi will receive $30 million over 3 years to improve access to high-quality early care and education programs.
Learn more about the main goals and next steps for the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five (PDG B-5) Renewal funding.
The first 5 years of a child’s life are critically important.
During their first years of life, children’s brains and bodies are growing and changing rapidly. Brain development during their early years, paired with the cognitive, social and emotional skills they learn at the same time, will influence their lifelong health and success. The first 5 years of a child’s life can build the foundation for future learning, health, and economic stability.
When our children thrive, our state will thrive.
We believe that improving outcomes for children is a public issue for which everyone is responsible. The holistic development of Mississippi’s children is the single most important accomplishment we can achieve to improve the quality of life in our state.
Working together is the only way to make lasting change.
We believe that the most impactful change can happen when two things happen: first, decision-makers must engage with parents, early childhood professionals, and other community members to understand the complexities of their lives. Second, a diverse group of stakeholders – state leaders, practitioners, business leaders, subject matter experts, and more – must work together to create and implement solutions that meet the needs of children and families in Mississippi.
Looking for information about Forum For the Future?
The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance serves as the backbone behind Forum for the Future, a movement to transform the early childhood system in Mississippi. More specifically, Forum for the Future is a coalition of childcare providers, early childhood organizations, business leaders, and policymakers working to break down silos and leverage our combined resources and expertise to accomplish commons goals. Right now, the common goal is: By 2030, Mississippi’s childhood system will be state-of-the-art, fueled by robust data, resources, and cross-sector collaboration to meet the needs of all children & families.