There is a lot happening at the Capitol, and we’re excited about the growing momentum around issues that matter to Mississippi families. As the legislative session moves quickly, our partners and advocates are staying engaged to push forward solutions that support babies, parents, and the early childhood workforce — and we have so much to celebrate together.
Celebrating Early Childhood Capitol Day
Last Thursday, more than 100 Mississippians from across the state — and across the aisle — gathered at the Capitol for the 7th Annual Early Childhood Capitol Day to celebrate the progress our state has made for infants and toddlers and to lift up the work still ahead.
We’re deeply grateful to the incredible speakers who helped lead the conversation — Senator Nicole Atkins Boyd, Representative Cheikh Taylor, Representative Sam Creekmore, Mr. Spencer Pipitone, CFA, Mrs. Chelesa Presley, and Mrs. Jennifer Calvert of Calvert’s ABC Pre-School and Nursery — for sharing why investing in babies is investing in Mississippi’s future.
Together, families, providers, business leaders, advocates, and lawmakers highlighted the need for continued investment in:
- Affordable, accessible child care;
- Healthy, nutritious food for babies, young children, and pregnant women;
- Common-sense tax relief on essential infant and toddler necessities like diapers.
We are beyond thankful for the leadership of all of you who were able to join us — and willing to be BIG voices for Little Children. We’re also incredibly grateful for our dedicated Advocacy Council — Lesia Daniel-Hollingshead, Cantrell Keyes, ReGina Harvey, Daisy Carter-Slater, Cathy Grace, and many others who weren’t able to be there– because of the flu or ice storm— who continue to show up for Mississippi’s babies and families.
The energy, collaboration, and shared commitment in the room made one thing clear: supporting babies is something Mississippians believe in, regardless of geography or political affiliation.
Legislative Updates
As y’all know, the Mississippi Forum for the Future Common Agenda includes many important priorities, and we track legislation connected to those goals every year.
Right now, if you look at our Prenatal to 5 Bill Tracker, you’ll notice that many bills introduced earlier in the session have moved to the “dead” tab. That’s normal at this point in the process—sometimes bills are voted down, and sometimes committees choose not to take them up at all.
While that’s always disappointing, here’s the good news:
Several bills tied to child care funding, diaper tax relief, and maternal health are still very much alive.
Here are a few we’re prioritizing right now:
- Bills related to business cost-sharing for child care: SB 2867, HB 723, and SB 2419
- A bill related to TANF funding: SB 2464
- Bills to remove the diaper tax: SB 2872, HB 281, HB 797, and HB 491
We’re also keeping a close eye on a couple of important bills:
- SB 2371, which would move child care licensure from the Department of Health to the Department of Human Services
- And HB 17, which would create a child care task force to address teacher shortages and funding challenges—work many of you helped move forward last year
Just because these bills are still alive doesn’t mean the work is done. Many of them involve funding and appropriations, which means longer timelines and continued advocacy.
Thank you for being part of this work—and for helping keep the focus on what Mississippi families need most.
Your advocacy, your partnership, and your belief in our youngest children truly make a difference. And we’re so grateful to be in this work with you.