BRANDON, Miss. (WLBT) – On Thursday, the new Mississippi LIFT Resource and Referral Center in Brandon held an open house, showcasing a place for young kids to learn and have a whole lot of fun doing it.
This is now one of 50 centers across the state, which provides the needed resources for parents to start early childhood education.
“We’re really talking about starting at birth. So, birth to five, those are the most formative years in terms of preparing children for lifelong learning and success. And when we talk about supporting early childhood education, it’s important that anyone that’s working with children need to have the materials and the resources and the support to do that properly,” Chad Allgood, Director of MDHS Division of Early Childhood Care and Development, said.
This new center is thanks to partnerships with the Mississippi Department of Human Services Division of Early Childhood Care and Development and the Mississippi State University Extension.
Parents can expect many resources, from learning materials to educational games, and even resources for teachers to develop future lesson plans.
All of the resources at the center are free and available to rent to learn outside the building.
Developmental screenings are offered, too, helping make the appropriate referrals to fit each child’s needs.
In 2022, there were only 17 of these centers in the state, but a three-year expansion by MDHS has now grown to what it is now.
Officials believe these resources are needed now more than ever after recent changes to certain educational programs.
“We are seeing a lot of change right now with public policy, with some decisions around how do we efficiently serve the public. I think, thankfully, everybody can agree that investing in early childhood education is very important. Because the children in these childhood programs, the children that are in these preschool programs, they are the future. And if we are not going to invest in the future, what should we invest in?” Allgood said.
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