Through funding from the Mississippi
Department of Human Services, new grant funding of up to
$25K per center-based provider and up
to $10K per in-home residential
program is available
JACKSON,
Miss., May 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) Division of Early
Childhood Care and Development (DECCD) is working with industry
partner Wonderschool to expand the child care industry in
Mississippi.
MDHS, in partnership with Wonderschool, has funding available to
expand capacity for high-quality child care available to working
Mississippi families. New in-home
residential providers can be reimbursed up to $10,000, and a center-based provider can be
reimbursed up to $25,000. The child
care grant can be used to cover mortgage or lease payments, utility
expenditures, technology needs, licensing expenses, background
checks, insurance, inspection fees, initial supplies, food costs,
and more.
Additionally, Wonderschool has launched "Wonderschool Academy"
in Mississippi, a free business
training program to help providers start or expand child care
businesses. In collaboration with the Mississippi Department of
Human Services, Wonderschool is offering its live, virtual six-hour
training program to Mississippi-based parents, educators, or child
care providers, paired with the Wonderschool marketplace product,
to start or expand a high-quality, child care program with a
curriculum of their choice. The first Wonderschool Academy cohort
began on October 26, 2023, and the
fifteenth cohort will begin on May 30,
2024. To date, over 110 Mississippians have graduated from
the program.
"Availability of child care across Mississippi is a critical component of
building Mississippi's workforce
and preparing children for a lifetime of learning," stated
Robert G. (Bob) Anderson, Executive
Director, Mississippi Department of Human Services. "MDHS is
working to ensure the availability of quality child care across the
state, but more specifically in historically underserved
areas."
Interested applicants should sign up for Wonderschool Academy to
receive resources as well as support in applying for the grant.
Grant applications are due August 1,
2024. Wonderschool is available to guide all applicants in
everything needed to apply for the grant by the deadline.
Grant Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be 18 years or older
- Must be able to pass background check
- Must have opened your doors as a new CCPP child care center in
Mississippi after October 1, 2023, and before the grant expiration
date.
- Must be partnered with Wonderschool Academy.
"The State of Mississippi has
listened and responded to the challenges that new child care
providers face with significant start-up costs for new programs
before they are able to begin collecting tuition from families,"
said Wonderschool Co-Founder and CEO Chris Bennett. "This partnership will have
ongoing benefits on the child care ecosystem through our direct
work with child care providers and the state."
Wonderschool Academy participants will learn how to design,
launch, and enroll students into their own child care program and
use Wonderschool's platform to run their successful small
businesses. They will receive 1:1 coaching and support with tools
and strategies for running their business, how to market it, and
preparing for child care licensing.
"As a participant in the first graduating Mississippi
Wonderschool Academy cohort, I can speak firsthand about how
greatly this program supports new child care providers," said
Jetuwan Brown, a Pediatric Haven Therapeutic child care provider.
"The 1:1 mentoring is priceless, and I learned invaluable
information from my instructor. As a grant recipient, the funding
allocated by the MDHS could not have come at a better time, and we
cannot begin to express enough gratitude. This grant and the
Wonderschool program have set Mississippi-based child care providers up for
success."
Wonderschool is now accepting applications for immediate child
care business support. Apply here to be a part of the next live
Mississippi Wonderschool Academy cohort and receive assistance in
qualifying for the grant by August 1,
2024.
For more information, please visit
https://wndr.school/mississippi-grant. For media inquiries, please
contact wonderschool@inkhouse.com.
About Wonderschool
Wonderschool is building the
largest network of high-quality early education programs.
Wonderschool offers a diversity of options and combines engaged
teachers and thoughtful education with the warmth of a family
program while maintaining standards that go above and beyond state
requirements. By providing dedicated support, technology, training,
mentorship, and community, Wonderschool lets teachers focus on what
they do best— teaching—and allows them to earn a sustainable living
in the field they love. Learn more at www.wonderschool.com.
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SOURCE Wonderschool