Child Care Matters: Keep Mississippi Working
Mississippi Child Care Crisis:
Take Action Now
On April 1, 2025, the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) implemented a temporary hold on new and renewed child care assistance through the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP). This abrupt move has left families confused, providers scrambling, and thousands of children at risk of losing access to safe, affordable child care.
What's Happening?
MDHS has limited CCPP eligibility to just six categories, excluding the vast majority of working families who rely on this support to remain employed. Nearly 9,000 children are expected to be dropped from the program in the coming months.
Providers are already feeling the impact—with shrinking enrollment, rising costs, and staff unsure of their job security. Many child care centers are at risk of closing. Parents are being blindsided by rejection letters and sudden ineligibility, with little communication or guidance from the state. Mississippi's economy will suffer with this devastating disruption in child care access.
The Funds Exist. The Crisis Is Preventable.
Mississippi has unused federal TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) dollars that can be legally and responsibly used to fund the CCPP program at current levels. Other states have done this—Mississippi can too.
But DHS has refused to take that step.
Mississippi’s significant reserve of unspent TANF funds presents a transformative opportunity to address the state’s looming child care subsidy crisis. Utilizing TANF funds now can sustain access to affordable child care for thousands of families and create opportunities to expand access in the future.
What We’re Demanding
- Lift the hold on new and renewing child care assistance applications.
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Use available TANF funds to restore full program access.
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Communicate directly and clearly with affected families and providers.
How You Can Help?
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✅ Call DHS at (601) 359-4500 or email to info@msdh.ms.gov
✅ Attend the upcoming press conference on April 24, 2024 (Location TBD)
✅ Share your story and tag us on social media with #SaveChildCareMS -
We must act now to protect Mississippi’s children, working families, and care providers. This is not just a funding issue—it’s a justice issue.
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The time is urgent. The need is real. Let’s stand together.
Download Our Assets
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Media Advisory for News Conference 🗓
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News Conference Agenda 🎤