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 working to improve the lives of Mississippi’s youngest children. In 2024, we saw growing awareness around the importance of affordable, accessible child care for families, … Read more

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 launch of the Birth-to-Three Advocacy Coalition of Mississippi. The primary objective of this coalition is to enhance our understanding of the needs of young children … Read more

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 Care: A Critical Piece of Mississippi’s Labor Force Puzzle,” to shed light on an often-overlooked factor contributing to these challenges – child care access and … Read more

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, July through June. The 2023-2024 Annual Report is unique in comparison to past reports as it will show completion of goals, achievements throughout the year, … Read more