MDHS opens new childcare center with free educational resources
HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI) – The Mississippi Department of Human Services is giving a boost to parents and childcare professionals in Chickasaw County.
The Mississippi LIFT Resource and Referral Network partnered with MSU Extension Service to bring in a new childcare resource center.
The Mississippi LIFT Resource and Referral Network is a Mississippi Department of Human Services Division of Early Childhood Care and Development program.
It has locations around the state, including one that’s now open in Houston, and provides resources for families with young children.
The program partnered with the Mississippi State Extension Service to open a new childcare resource center.
“All designed to help childcare providers provide a better learning experience in their centers and to allow families to come and they can check out materials and take them home,” Bob Anderson said. “They can use materials inside the center so that’s what these are all about.”
The center provides free resources for kids such as educational toys, books, games, and many other instructional materials.
Parents said they are excited to see what’s now available to help their children learn.
“This was a great opportunity for Houston to get,” Quatesha Johnson said. “Especially for those, single parents or just mothers in general who have kids that don’t attend daycare or homeschooling. For my instance, she doesn’t attend daycare so this was a great opportunity for me to bring my child and just expand her varieties and get to play and learn other new stuff that she doesn’t typically learn at home.”
They also offer referrals, training, and assistance for teachers and childcare providers.
Houston’s Mayor said it’s a great benefit to have resources like those offered at the center.
“If we looked around and looked at those kids right there we’d see the purity of what the gift of God has given us and that’s for us to be here to make a difference in this community,” Stacey Parker said. “That’s what we are doing. That’s what we are doing, that’s what I’m hoping we have done with my board of Alderman is trying to make a difference for people in this community, to draw people in this community to give them something back to them.”
The staff at Houston’s Resource and Referral Center said they are excited to host future informative events for the community.
