In almost every critical measure of child well-being, Mississippi ranks last or near last. More than 65.1 percent of the children have either two working parents or a working single parent. Children at-risk for school failure thrive when caring adults value them and support their educational and extracurricular activities. The social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of children is dependent upon the family.
Families are a child's first teacher in life.
MSU-ES strives to meet the challenges of societal pressures and works to provide supportive parenting educational programs and materials for Mississippi's children and families. Parenting education programs and materials enable families to develop positive parenting skills. The programs are designed to teach parents the developmental growth of children and how to support that growth in appropriate ways. With more than 63.8 percent of the women in Mississippi, with children under the age of 6, working outside the home, quality childcare continues to be a concern. Research continues to consistently support that the relationship between the caregiver and child is a key indicator of the quality of care.