Early Childhood Council 2024

The Children’s Foundation of Mississippi (CFM) is offering up to 10 small planning grants to establish local Early Childhood Councils (ECCs) across all counties in Mississippi. The primary goal of these grants is to foster community-led initiatives that improve conditions for children aged 0-5 and their families. This aligns with CFM's mission to advance early childhood programming by empowering local communities to identify needs and promote solutions. The grants, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, are designed to support the initial planning stages of these councils. The target beneficiaries are children aged 0-5 and their families in Mississippi, particularly those in neighborhoods, cities, and counties where early childhood programming is lacking. The impact goals include expanding civic engagement with policymakers on children's issues, advocating for and supporting policies that increase state funding for high-quality public Pre-K, and building partnerships with established non-profits and programs like Excel By 5 and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. The grants prioritize communities that seek to build a committee focused on one or more key areas: expanding civic engagement with policymakers, advocating for high-quality public Pre-K funding, serving as a facilitator for partnerships with existing programs, implementing unique early childhood programs in underserved areas, and identifying unmet program or service needs within their communities. These focus areas are critical to CFM's strategic priorities of fostering local leadership and collaborative efforts to address early childhood development challenges. Expected outcomes include the establishment of new or strengthened Early Childhood Councils that are actively working to improve conditions for young children and their families. Measurable results will stem from the successful planning and initiation of activities aligned with the council's goals, such as increased community leader involvement, development of local action plans, and the identification of specific programming or policy advocacy targets. The foundation's theory of change posits that by empowering local entities to assess needs and lead initiatives, sustainable improvements in early childhood outcomes can be achieved at the community level.