ELEVATE: a Quality Support System for Child Care Providers
The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) Division of Early Childhood Care and Development (DECCD) is introducing ELEVATE: A Quality Support System, the first-of-its-kind in the nation quality support system designed to enhance early childhood education programs in Mississippi. ELEVATE is an innovative and holistic support and badging system that enables child care providers to improve their educational offerings.
Recognizing that child care serves as the backbone of Mississippi’s workforce and K-12 preparedness, this system aims to provide a structured guide for establishing quality curricula and teaching practices in early childhood education. Through ELEVATE, families will have the opportunity to select child care providers that best fit their needs.
The ELEVATE program will be implemented over a three-year period. During the first year, providers will work toward achieving the foundational Educational Interaction badge, which includes training modules designed to enhance teachers’ skills in delivering high-quality care and education in child care classrooms.
“Our child care programs work hard to educate and care for Mississippi’s children and support working families. They deserve both our support and recognition, which ELEVATE will provide.” – Dr. Chad Allgood
In preparation for the launch of ELEVATE, MDHS DECCD hosted multiple town hall meetings across the state, gathering feedback from child care providers and families. This valuable input has been instrumental in shaping the program, which has been in development for several years.
Regarding ELEVATE and its overarching goal, DECCD Division Director Dr. Chad Allgood stated, “Our child care programs work very hard to educate and care for Mississippi’s children, and they are a great resource for Mississippi’s working families. They need our support, but more than that, they deserve recognition for what they do. ELEVATE will give them both.”
The system’s rollout will initially focus on child care facilities participating in the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) before expanding to other providers. Child care personnel can register for training through the lift-ED portal on ELEVATE: a Quality Support System – MS LIFT, where a tutorial is available for those unfamiliar with the program. Project implementation is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
Since 2023, millions of dollars have been invested in improving child care quality and ensuring the availability of the highest quality early childhood education resources for children in Mississippi.
MDHS Executive Director Bob Anderson noted, “We want child care to be a true learning experience for children in addition to providing a safe place for their young minds to grow. The ELEVATE system will help assure parents that child care is a part of that early learning dynamic.”
For more information about ELEVATE and MS LIFT, visit www.mslift.org.
What is ELEVATE?
ELEVATE is the first-of-its-kind in the nation quality support system introduced by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) Division of Early Childhood Care and Development (DECCD). It aims to enhance early childhood education programs in Mississippi through a holistic support and badging system for child care providers.
Why was ELEVATE created?
The ELEVATE program recognizes the critical role that child care plays in Mississippi’s workforce and K-12 preparedness. It provides a guide for establishing quality curricula and teaching practices, helping families select the best child care providers for their needs.
How will ELEVATE be implemented?
ELEVATE will be implemented over three years. In the first year, child care providers will aim to achieve the foundational Educational Interaction badge, which includes training modules to enhance teachers’ skills in delivering high-quality care and education.
Who is eligible to participate in ELEVATE?
The program will initially focus on child care facilities participating in the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP). The program will later expand to include all child care providers who want to participate.
What resources will be available for training?
Child care personnel can register for training through the lift-ED portal | Lift Portal | Mississippi Department of Human Services. A tutorial is also available for individuals who are not familiar with the program.
What was the process leading up to ELEVATE’s launch?
Before the launch, MDHS DECCD conducted multiple town hall meetings across the state to gather feedback from child care providers and families. This input has been crucial in the final program, which has been in development for several years.
What is the timeline for the ELEVATE program?
The rollout of the ELEVATE program is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
Who can I contact for more information about ELEVATE?
For more detailed information about ELEVATE and MS LIFT, please visit www.mslift.org. For inquiries, you may contact ms.lift@mdhs.ms.gov.
What is the overall goal of the ELEVATE program?
The overarching goal of ELEVATE is to support and recognize the hard work of child care providers in Mississippi while enhancing the quality of early childhood education.
What is PDG B-5 – R Funding?
The Preschool Development Grant Birth–Five Renewal Grant (PDG B5-R) funding comes from the renewal of the federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG) administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care. Mississippi will receive over $30 million during the course of the three-year grant project period.
What is the grant period?
The three-year grant period is from 2023 to 2025, with the first-year grant allocated at $10.3 million. Subsequent awards will be announced prior to each funding year.
What role will child care providers play in developing a quality improvement system?
DECCD is launching ELEVATE: a Quality Support System. Child care providers have played a major role in providing feedback on the current system and provided input on how the new support system will be structured, including how our state should measure quality in early childhood, how child care providers should be recognized for their hard work on this front, and how they can be supported in continuing to offer the best possible care and education for Mississippi’s children.
Who benefits from the grant?
Mississippi families in need of quality early childhood care and education and the providers who seek to build quality care services by working with the network of support services and resources available in the state are the primary beneficiaries.
On a larger scale, all of Mississippi benefits. Building a system of quality care not only supports the small businesses that feed Mississippi’s economy but also provides jobs in the state and gives families the option of entering the workforce with the certainty that their children are receiving quality care. Without such care, the state loses millions of dollars annually.
Almost half of all Mississippi’s children (48%) live in a child care desert. Mississippi is the fourth most rural state in the U.S., and 60% of Mississippi’s rural children live in a child care desert.
