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New program from the Mississippi Department of Human Services provides substitute teachers for child care facilities

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2 months ago

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New program from the Mississippi Department of Human Services provides substitute teachers for child care facilities


JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A 3 On Your Side Exclusive on a new program from the Mississippi Department of Human Services that is making sure Child Care facilities have the workers they need to stay open and provide services to children and their families. The Substitute Teacher Initiative is the first of its kind in the nation.

The Substitute Teacher Initiative is the first of its kind in the nation.(WLBT)

The new program has been in operation for a year. Officials with the Mississippi Department of Human Services say the Early Childhood Care and Development Substitute teacher initiative has given job opportunities at facilities across the state, which in turn has kept parents in the workforce.

Chad Allgood, MDHS Director of the Division of Early Childhood Care and Development, said, “When you talk about sustaining any kind of industry, you’ve also got to talk about building up the child care options for people that are going to work bottom line. So it’s absolutely crucial.”

By providing a pool of substitute teachers who have already been recruited, screened, and trained, the program is connecting qualified individuals with the facilities who need them, whether it’s for a day or longer. The program is also helping address needs in childcare deserts like the Mississippi Delta.

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“With our child care industry, which is primarily our birth to five range. We are seeing just a high level of turnover in that field, especially since the pandemic. There are other industries we’re unfortunately losing teachers to those other, those other businesses because they can pay more”, Allgood said.

Nancy Sylvester is the director of Global Connection Learning Center, which has been open at Jackson Medical Mall for 15 years. The program focuses on teen mothers and their babies.

One child care provider says the program has made a tremendous difference.
One child care provider says the program has made a tremendous difference.(WLBT)

Sylvester said, “There are no fees associated. As long as they’re willing to re-enroll in school and keep their grades up, their behavior has to be good. Come to our after-school program where we work with them on parenting skills and financial literacy. We have a number of things that we work with them on, but they cannot have a repeat pregnancy.”

Sylvester says the substitute teacher pool became available while she was fighting breast cancer.

Nancy Sylvester said, “It made a tremendous difference. It took so much pressure off of me, I felt like I was able to relax and just heal from everything that I had gone through because we had staff here, I could get people in. Classes were covered.”

According to MDHS, over 300 substitute teachers are in the pool. An average of 40 job postings are listed per day statewide. 909 jobs were filled in July.

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The program was originally scheduled to run for one year, but it has been so successful the project has now been extended an additional year through June 30, 2025. You can find more information on the program here.

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Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.



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Mississippi

Mississippi College set to undergo name change, discontinuation of football program

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7 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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Mississippi College set to undergo name change, discontinuation of football program


CLINTON, Miss. (WLOX) – After reviewing and preparing for the college’s 2026 bicentennial, the Mississippi College Board of Trustees approved a name change for Mississippi College.

Starting in 2026, the college will be known as Mississippi Christian University. The decision underscores MC’s status as a comprehensive university and allows the college to retain its logo and identity.

Officials with the college say the name change is a strategic decision that reiterates leadership’s commitment to fulfilling the private university’s vision statement – to be known as a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ.

Along with the decision to approve the name change, the college also announced the discontinuation of the football program, which will allow the school to “further its commitment to excellence in Division II play across its remaining 17 sports and pursue needed facility upgrades”.

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“Discontinuing our football program is a difficult decision. We acknowledge the program’s legacy and the deep connection to the many student-athletes, alumni, and supporters of the football program. I want to emphasize that we will always consider them as part of our MC Family,” Athletic Director Kenny Bizot said.

“We will support our current student-athletes as they seek to continue their education at MC as well as those who wish to transfer,” Bizot added.

The changes were based on recommendations from a task force of university trustees, which were developed in consultation with university leadership and approved by the Board of Trustees.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.

Copyright 2024 WLOX. All rights reserved.

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The Final Horn: State 78, Utah 73 – Mississippi State

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15 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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The Final Horn: State 78, Utah 73 – Mississippi State


THE BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State is off to a perfect 4-0 start this season courtesy of a determined second-half surge that carried MSU past Utah 78-73 at the Landers Center in Southaven on Sunday. The Bulldogs trailed 39-28 after the first 20 minutes of play but used a 22-5 run out of halftime to gain a six-point edge before fending off the Utes down the stretch. Utah tied the game at 71-all with only 1:40 remaining, however State locked down defensively and scored seven of the game’s final nine points to secure victory.

KEY NUMBERS: Individually, Josh Hubbard scored 20 of his team-high 23 points in the second half to lead State’s surge, while KeShawn Murphy did a little of everything for the Bulldogs with 18 points, 14 rebounds, a couple of blocks and an assist. Riley Kugel and Cameron Matthews also reached double figures in scoring for State as each tallied 12 points. Matthews also collected a pair of steals, surpassing the 200-mark for his career. Collectively though, the biggest difference in the game was State’s second-half offensive resurgence. After shooting just 22.9 percent from the field as a team in the opening period, including only making one of 13 shots from three-point range, MSU shot 50 percent as a group the rest of the way and made five of its final 12 tries from deep.

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NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State faces a true road test as MSU battles SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 22. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed via ACC Network Extra.

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Mississippi State defeats Utah 78-73 in Southaven

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22 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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Mississippi State defeats Utah 78-73 in Southaven


SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Mississippi State is off to a perfect 4-0 start this season courtesy of a determined second-half surge that carried MSU past Utah 78-73 at the Landers Center in Southaven on Sunday. The Bulldogs trailed 39-28 after the first 20 minutes of play but used a 22-5 run out of halftime to gain […]



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