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About the Reception
Join us for an unforgettable evening of inspiration, connection, and commitment to Mississippi’s youngest children.
The Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA) is thrilled to host our second Big Voices for Little Children event, an evening cocktail reception celebrating Mississippi employers who support families and strengthen the workforce. This event will be held immediately following the annual State of Babies symposium.
The event will highlight effective policies and practices to improve hiring, retention, and productivity that also help parents of young children. Bringing together business leaders, policymakers, and advocates, the evening will showcase what’s working—and how to expand it across the state.
Our 2025 inaugural event featured a special appearance by Academy Award-winning actor, director, and Mississippi native, Morgan Freeman, and this year will be another exciting event!
The 2026 event will bring together business leaders, philanthropists, policymakers, and advocates who share a common goal: to give every child in Mississippi the strong start they deserve. Together, we’ll celebrate Mississippi companies who are investing in their employees in ways that encourage recruitment and retention of talent, while also supporting the health, well-being, and education of young children.
Tell us about a Family-Forward Workplace
Do you know of a business, company, or organization in Mississippi who has family-forward policies?
Maybe they offer paid leave for the birth of a child, or offer a dependent care flexible spending account, or maybe they offset the cost of child care or healthcare for their employee’s children. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THEM! We want to make sure that we have not left out ANY family-friendly businesses or companies from our celebration, no matter how big or small they are or where in the state they are located.
WHERE?
We are looking forward to gathering together at the Faulkner in downtown Jackson!
Please note: A ticket purchased for Big Voices for Little Children includes a registration for the 4th annual State of Babies Policy Symposium that is is being held downstairs at the Faulkner directly before the Big Voices for Little Children event.
While these are two separate events, your Big Voices ticket includes registration to the earlier symposium so we encourage all of our partners to join us for both so that you can help us shape the plans for early childhood policy advancement in the afternoon, and then celebrate successes and leaders who are big voices for little children in the evening.