Moss Point Adopts Program to Provide Free Books to Kids

The City of Moss Point has adopted a program where you can get children’s books mailed to you monthly for free. Thursday, little ones heard a story and watched a puppet show in celebration of the launch of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

The program, sponsored by Moss Point’s Excel by 5 program, will mail parents with a child born after January 1st, 2015, a children’s book every month until the child turns five years old for free. City leaders say it’s important to invest in our children at a young age. Billy Broomfield, Mayor of Moss Point, says, "An old preacher once told me if you don’t take care of kittens, you’re never gonna’ have any cats. So if you don’t protect the future, what’s the future gonna’ be?"

Excel by 5 is stressing the fact that this is a completely free program. They hope that parents take advantage of it and realize the importance of reading with your children every night. Patrice McCullum, Director of Excel by 5, says, "Read to them, to talk to them, and let them know how important they are to the very early education of their children."

Research shows early childhood education decreases dropout rates, decreases incarceration rates, and reduces the number of children involved in a criminal activity. Mayor Broomfield tells News 25 knowing what research says about the benefits of early childhood education, it only makes sense to support it. Broomfield closes, "Emphasis is being placed on incarceration and a lot of children are there because they didn’t get the basic fundamentals. This is where it starts. These children over here are going to be the ones that we save."

Excel by 5 and the City of Moss Point hope by encouraging parents to engage in their children’s education, the program can help keep kids stay in school and off the streets. If you live in Moss Point and your child was born after January 1st 2015, you can go to the family education center and fill out a registration form.