Parents and Family Resources
Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive!
Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! is a coordinated federal effort to promote healthy child development, provide universal developmental and behavioral screening for children, and support the families and providers who care for them.
Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! will help families and providers:
Celebrate milestones. Every family looks forward to seeing a child’s first smile, first step, and first words. Regular screenings help raise awareness of a child’s development, making it easier to expect and celebrate developmental milestones.
Promote universal screening. Just like hearing and vision screenings ensure that children can hear and see clearly, developmental and behavioral screenings track a child’s progress in areas such as language, social, and motor development.
Identify possible delays and concerns early. With regular screenings, families, teachers, and other professionals can ensure that young children get the services and supports they need, as early as possible, to help them thrive alongside their peers.
Enhance developmental supports. Combining the love and knowledge families have of their children with tools, guidance, and tips recommended by experts can make the most of the developmental support children receive.
Mississippi Community College Board – Early Childhood Academy
The Early Childhood Academy collaborates with participating community and junior colleges, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and child care providers to ensure that Mississippi’s family-based unified and integrated early childhood system connects and integrates resources and services for both parents/caregivers and their children.
The Office is also responsible for establishing an Early Childhood Academy with a Resource and Referral Center at participating community colleges to deliver professional development for all centers, delivering and managing technical assistance and coaching, and providing leadership to the Resource and Referral offices.
Mississippi Department of Human Services
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is dedicated to serving others while providing a wide range of public assistance programs, social services and support for children, low-income individuals and families. The agency seeks to empower families so they can become self-sufficient and responsible for their future success.
United Way Born Learning
United Way Born Learning is a set of tools that equip parents, caregivers and communities to create early learning opportunities for young children. Designed to support parents in their critical role as a child’s first teacher, Born Learning is a long-standing resource used across the United Way network.