Mississippi Officials Push for Early Childhood Education

Forty six percent of 3rd graders in Mississippi can’t read at the 3rd grade level. A new law passed this year aims to help elementary school children read better, but experts say it’s still not enough.

Friday, experts from the Mississippi State Medical Center and Mississippi Kids Count organization held a luncheon at the IP Casino in Biloxi to discuss the importance of early childhood education. Experts say the 3rd grade reading gate law is great, but believe we should be targeting kids even earlier, at the pre-kindergarten level.

For years, Mississippi was the only state in the Deep South without publicly funded Pre-K, but that’s changed over the past two years thanks to state lawmakers making a $3 million investment to give underprivileged children a chance at early education through the Early Learning Collaborative Act. State Senator Brice Wiggins tells News 25 it’s a sound investment that could use more funding. Wiggins says, "Myself, just like all my colleagues and everybody else around here, we’re tired of Mississippi being 50th. This is a long term view."

Over the past year, the three coastal counties (Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties) have seen a decline in reading proficiency at the 3rd grade level. Under the 3rd grade reading gate law that goes into effect this year, students who can’t read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade will be automatically held back.

Experts say the focus doesn’t need to be in 3rd grade, but needs to start earlier. Dr. Rick Barr, Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, says, "If you focus on 3rd grade, you’re way too late. By that time, some of the developmental disabilities that kids may have, learning disabilities are already well engrained. So, we need to intervene at the pre-kindergarten level."

In addition, kindergarten is only mandatory in 14 states. Mississippi is not one of them, although teachers say this is a pivotal year when it comes to reading. Wiggins also says, "I know every teacher I’ve ever talked to said they need mandatory kindergarten because of the brain development and where they are."

Although sending children to kindergarten in Mississippi isn’t a law, it is a choice available to all parents, as well as publicly funded Pre-K programs for their children. Linda Southward, Director of Mississippi Kids Count, says, "If we do not start early, I think that the road is going to be very long and very steep for children to be able to have the successes that we all want them to have."

Wiggins tells News 25 he believes in a bottom up approach. He says if mandatory early childhood education is something the people of Mississippi are interested in, it’s important to let your elected officials know.