MISSISSIPPI STATE – A new Mississippi State University Extension Service program will connect Mississippi families to important educational resources.

MSU Extension Service was recently awarded funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission to launch Project Navigator. The project is designed to provide better access to family resources and decrease the rates of child abuse and infant mortality through parent education programming and community service.

Project Navigator will help families access tools to help their children thrive and succeed through three components. The first component consists of program navigators who will work in the distressed communities to connect families to important family services. Navigators will also educate parents through home visits and group instruction.

Additionally, the grant will offer the funding and resources to distribute early literacy and parenting information to parents of newborns. The third component is a collaborative effort implementing the Southern Rural Development Center’s successful “Turning the Tide on Poverty” program. Community collaborators will work with local citizens to assess community needs and develop solutions.

“Early intervention is key to helping infants thrive, preventing abuse and also increasing school readiness in young children,” said Louise Davis, director of the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral Network. “The program will contribute to the viability of community resources aimed at helping young children and their families.”

Enrollment is under way for families living in Choctaw, Clay, Kemper, Noxubee and Winston counties that are interested in participating in the in-home parent education program. For more information or to enroll, visit http://www.childcaremississippi.org or call toll-free 1-866-706-8827.

Writer: Karen Templeton