A multi-year project of the Mississippi State University Early Childhood Institute, the Mississippi Delta Early Learning Corps promotes improved quality of early childhood programs in the Mississippi Delta. The corps includes the Campus Instructors Unit, the Technical Assistants Unit, and the Child Care Providers Unit.

Members of the Campus Instructors Unit teach child development and related courses at colleges and universities in the Delta counties of Mississippi. They participated in an intensive one-semester training program in order to strengthen material in their courses on ways to support literacy development in young children. These instructors teach at Coahoma Community College, Delta State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and Northwest Mississippi Community College.

The Technical Assistants Unit provided consultation and mentoring to child care facilities in the Delta, focusing on helping teachers strengthen specific classroom practices. The assistants also advised licensed programs on how to succeed in the Mississippi Child Care Quality Step System. The institute will provide intensive training on teaching techniques to help children develop and practice early literacy skills.

The Child Care Providers Unit is comprised of participating teachers, paraprofessionals, and directors at centers that receive the technical assistance. The participating centers will receive sets of learning materials. This project will yield training materials and a field protocol that can be used in technical assistance in other rural communities.

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation supported the creation and first phase of the Mississippi Delta Early Learning Corps. With additional funding by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the institute began training a second group in the Technical Assistants Unit in November 2009. The new group will work at sites in the Partners for Quality Child Care program, which also is funded by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Kimberly Triplett, Ph.D., directs the Mississippi Delta Early Learning Corps.

46 Blackjack Rd. / P.O. Box 6013 / Mississippi State, MS / 39762
tel. 662-325-4836 / fax 662-325-5436

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