Message from the Director
As the Director of the
Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Office for
Children and Youth (OCY), it is a great privilege to be a part
of bringing the Mississippi Child Care Quality Step System (MCCQSS)
to our licensed child care providers. MCCQSS is a system to
assess, improve and communicate the level of quality in licensed
early child care and education settings. Opportunities to learn
begin long before a child enters kindergarten. Our goal is to
support Governor Haley Barbour’s Early Childhood Initiative in
the UpGrade Education Reform Act of 2006 and to promote early
childhood program partnerships and enhancement of services.
The MCCQSS has five components: Administrative Policy,
Professional Development, Learning Environments, Parental
Involvement, and Evaluation. The proposed goals are to prepare
all children to learn and be ready for school and to teach
children to learn, value and respect authority, practice
self-discipline, and be observant and practice socialization
skills.
In Mississippi each of you who participates in the pilot phase
of the system is acknowledging the importance of early care and
education in preparing our children to be “ready for school.” If
your program serves families receiving a childcare subsidy, your
successful efforts will be awarded with an ongoing Quality Bonus
for each child participating in the Child Care and Development
Fund (CCDF) Subsidy Program, additionally your facility will
receive a certificate of award for the "Star Rating" achieved.
I am committed to improving school readiness for all of
Mississippi’s children. The public awareness of the importance
of school readiness through the MCCQSS will ensure positive
school performance and lead to a brighter future for our state’s
children.
Sincerely,
Julia M.
Todd
© 2004- Mississippi State University
