Increasing Learning for Young Children with Disabilities
Speaker: Jessica Hulbert from the Mississippi Early Childhood Inclusion Center
May 26th, 11-Noon
Register here for the webinar!
Join Forum for the Future as we host an an engaging session highlighting the work of the Mississippi Early Childhood Inclusion Center (MECIC) and its mission to strengthen Mississippi’s early childhood quality support system. Participants will explore MECIC’s two primary pillars of support:
• Hands-on coaching and professional development for educators
• Developmental screening and resources that support families
Learn practical strategies to increase learning, participation, and engagement for young children with disabilities in early childhood settings.
Growing Farm to ECE
Speaker: Edy Dingus, Mississippi Farm to School Network
Children eat most of their daily meals while in early care and education spaces, making these programs essential to helping children develop lifelong healthy eating habits.
The farm to early care and education (ECE) movement aims to increase access to healthy, locally-grown foods, gardening opportunities and food-based activities in preschools, child care centers, family child care homes, and Head Start/Early Head Start programs.
What are 530A Baby Accounts?
What Are 530a Baby Accounts? (sometimes referred to as “Trump Accounts”)—a new tool designed to help families start building financial security for their children from birth.
These accounts work like a long-term savings and investment account for kids. Once opened, money contributed by families, employers, or others is invested and can grow over time. In some cases, eligible children may receive a $1,000 starter contribution from the federal government, helping families begin saving right away.
WHY Learn about 530a Baby Accounts?
For families, these accounts are an opportunity to:
Start saving early—even small contributions can grow over time
Take advantage of potential government and employer contributions
Help children build financial stability and learn about saving and investing
WHO is this for?
This session is designed for families with new babies, Financial Advisors, Child Care providers, and Accountants— or anyone who wants to understand how these accounts work, who is eligible, and how to sign up.
The Importance of Child Care in State-Funded Pre-K
The Importance of Child care in State-Funded Pre-K
Speaker: Micayla Tatum,
Director of Early Childhood Policy, Mississippi First
Description
Early Learning Collaboratives (ELCs) are Mississippi’s state-funded pre-K programs that bring together public schools, private childcare centers, and Head Start providers to meet the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) benchmarks for high-quality pre-K.
After celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013, which Mississippi First co-authored, we reflected on the progress of ELCs and identified several ways to strengthen their impact. One key focus is expanding the participation of childcare providers.
In early 2025, we launched an effort to actively recruit childcare providers to join or start ELCs. Childcare providers are a vital part of Mississippi’s pre-K landscape. By ensuring they have access to state resources, we can build stronger connections among all early childhood providers and create a more supportive environment for children and families.
Our Mamas, Our Mission
Our Mamas, Our Mission: Why Eliminating the Diaper Tax Matters for Maternal and Infant Health
Speaker: Nakeitra Burse,
Executive Director, Six Dimensions
Description
This session will examine how eliminating the diaper tax can serve as a strategy to improve maternal and infant health and advance health equity. Attendees will explore the economic impact of diaper costs, the connection between financial strain and overall family well-being, and why tax equity matters for healthier outcomes. The discussion will highlight how reducing economic barriers can lower stress for families, improve infant health, and support better maternal outcomes even in challenging policy environments.
TANF
TANF: Key Trends, Policy Opportunities, & Implementation in Mississippi
Speaker: Matt Williams,
Director of Research, Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative (MLICCI)
Description
This session will discuss policy options for the use of TANF for child care, revenue trends, child care funding strategies in Ohio and Texas and opportunities for Mississippi to increase revenue for child care.
Math Counts Early!
Math Counts Early! Introducing the MS Early Childhood Math Resource Guide
Speaker: Melissa Luckett,
Program Manager & Co-Principal Investigator at MSU Social Science Research Center Systems Change Lab
Description
During this session, participants will learn about the new Mississippi Early Childhood Math Resource Guide, which is a practical, evidenced-based toolkit designed to strengthen math learning from birth through age eight. This interactive guide is organized by age group and highlights developmentally appropriate concepts, everyday learning opportunities, and simple strategies that educators and families can use to build children’s confidence in math.