Mississippi has a need for more child care slots. The state has more potential children needing child care than it does child care slots in day care centers, preschools or family child care homes. Mississippi has 118,118 child care slots as of 2011, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), but 160,674 children under the age of six in potential need of child care.
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Mississippi has 1,807 child care centers and 232 family child care homes. Sixty-five percent of child care requested in the state is for infants and toddlers, while 17 percent of requests are for preschool-aged and school-aged children.
Working, married mothers with children under the age of 18 number 131,469 in Mississippi. There are 90,368 single working mothers with children under the age of 18. Children in two-parent families with both parents in the workforce number 75,421, and there are 85,253 children of working, single parents.
The yearly cost of having an infant in full-time day care in Mississippi is $4,650 in a child care center. This compares with a range of $4,650 to $18,200 across the country. To have a four year-old in full-time child care in Mississippi, parents will typically pay about $3,900. The national range for this age is between $3,900 and $14,050. Before- and after-school child care in a child care center costs $3,400 in Mississippi. The national range is between $2,450 and $10,400 per year.
While there are no nationally-accredited family child care homes in Mississippi, the costs of having a child in a family child care home are lower than having the child in a child care center. An infant costs $3,850 per year in Mississippi in a family child care home, and a four year-old costs $3,600. A married couple in Mississippi pays seven percent of their yearly income on child care. Single parents pay 27 percent of their annual income on child care.
When in Mississippi, visitors should travel to Clarksdale on the Mississippi Delta to visit a place with a strong blues history. The Gulf Coast is another place to enjoy in Mississippi with its casinos, warm breezes, year-round golf and seafood. In the capital of Jackson, visit the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry/National Agricultural Aviation Museum, the Fondren District for boutique-style shopping and Mississippi Opera, the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and equestrian events throughout the year.
