2025 State of Pre-K
DASHBOARD APPENDIX: DEFINITIONS AND SOURCES
State Data Definitions
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in a Licensed Childcare Program in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds enrolled in a licensed childcare program in May 2024 was obtained primarily from a report generated by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). The report contained an entry for the number of four-year-olds enrolled at each licensed childcare center in May 2024. The numbers are self-reported by center administrators at the time of initial licensure or licensure renewal. Licensure is valid for one calendar year from the date of issue unless it is a temporary license, in which case it is valid for six months. As a result, the enrollment of four-year-old children could date to May 2023 or the enrollment could be current as of May 2024 and remain unchanged until May 2025. MSDH operates the Licensure and Reporting System (LARS) to collect information on childcare. LARS is an operational database that does not archive information and updates when childcare providers provide information. As a result, historical data does not exist. Please interpret these numbers with caution. In the past, licensure reports could be used to construct historical data about enrollment at each childcare center, but between our 2017-2018 report and our 2022-2023 report, licensure began using electronic forms that are more formulaic and do not leave space for inspectors to list the enrollment of childcare centers. This resulted in the loss of an important data source that we previously used to verify childcare enrollments. To calculate the total, we combined the number of four-year-old children present at each childcare center.
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Head Start in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds1 enrolled in Head Start in 2022-2024 came from a variety of sources. Our primary source of data was MSDH licensure data submitted by Head Start grantees (see the discussion of concerns about childcare data in the State Data Definitions section). While this was our most comprehensive data source, it was incomplete because only Head Start sites operating in classrooms outside school buildings are included in MSDH licensure data. We used additional sources to create and verify our Head Start enrollment figures, including data collected directly from grantees, grantee enrollments reported to the Office of Head Start (OHS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report, and enrollments reported to MDE. Additionally, we used data from the Office of Head Start Collaboration (OHSC) to identify all centers
1 We do not include figures for the Head Start programs operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians because these seats are not available to all children.
operating in the 2022-2023 school year and fill in gaps in the data where we could not find another source. Previously, we used actual inspection reports, a parent survey, and a direct survey of Head Start grantees by OHSC as sources for our Head Start data, but due to changes in data collection at MDE, MSDH, and OHSC, these sources were no longer available. As a result, we lost the ability to verify the validity of all Head Start enrollments on a site-by-site basis with multiple sources. In cases where we could compare enrollment data across sources, we first gave preference to data reported from grantees or data we could gather from grantee documents. Then, we gave preference to MSDH licensure data reported directly by Head Start grantees. For any remaining gaps in the data, we used capacity estimates provided by the OHSC. These estimates are annotated in the dashboard with an asterisk and can be found later in this appendix in red. Additionally, these capacity estimates are included in access rates, but should be interpreted with caution. Finally, after we had constructed an enrollment, we compared the grantee enrollment data reported to OHS through the Program Information Report. In all but four cases, there were large discrepancies (more than 20 students) between the enrollment data reported to OHS and the enrollment data we constructed. This is likely due to a few factors, including double-counting of blended enrollment, shifts in enrollment throughout the school year, and lower enrollment than expected. Please interpret these numbers with caution. To calculate the total, we combined the number of four-year-old children present at each Head Start location.
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in School District Pre-K in Mississippi
The total number of children enrolled in school district pre-K programs2 in 2022-2023 came primarily from the District and School Data tool on MDE’s website. Additionally, we used teacher licensure data, the Consolidated Federal Programs Application (CFPA), the 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report, and a direct survey of school districts to verify and estimate enrollment. We prioritized any enrollment figures that were consistent across data sources. For school districts without consistent enrollment figures, we used the median for enrollment, except in the case of school districts in the Monroe Early Learning Collaborative (Aberdeen School District, Amory School District, and Monroe County School District), where we assigned enrollment based on the location of students in the early learning collaborative to each district. We used median enrollment figures to avoid using outliers that did not represent typical enrollment. In cases where there was no aligned median enrollment figure, we prioritized the 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report since test-takers were verifiably present in a classroom during the school year. In the case of Western Line School District, we had four enrollment figures that were each consistent with another enrollment figure. In that case, we gave preference to the spring test-taker figure. In two other cases, Picayune School District and Pearl Public School District, there were large discrepancies in each source’s enrollment figures. We resolved the Picayune School District discrepancies by using the results of the school district survey as the basis for the number of students served solely by the school district. We also used the CFPA capacity estimate as a benchmark for enrollment data, but not as an actual enrollment figure. Pearl Public School District’s enrollment figures for regular education pre-K were suppressed. Using the data tool, we were able to approximate that it served about 115 regular education pre-K students. This number aligned with other reported figures. Additionally, we used the survey of school districts to report enrollments for DeSoto County School District and Hancock County School District. To calculate the total, we combined the number of four-year-old children present at each school district.
2 As we explain in the body of the report, we do not include enrollment figures for special education-only programs in any of our school district numbers. This is for several reasons. These counts do not always represent full-week, classroom-based services. These seats can fluctuate year to year based on the actual number of children a district is required to serve and may not be an accurate representation of generally available pre-K programs. Although access to special education-only pre-K is sometimes access to full-week, classroom-based pre-K, regular education pre-K seats best represent access to pre-K as they are available to all children regardless of disability status and always mean classroom-based pre-K. Finally, because special education populations are small, special education-only program numbers are often suppressed, making it hard to know exactly how many children are served. Additionally, we do not include enrollments for the schools operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians because these seats are not available to all children.
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Blended Pre-K in Mississippi
The total number of children enrolled in blended pre-K programs came from a variety of sources in 2022-2024. Mississippi First constructed this data through several methods. We directly surveyed school districts and Head Start grantees to determine if they operated any blended pre-K classrooms and to identify the locations of those sites. In the case of one Head Start grantee (Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc.), we used the HSCO capacity data to determine if sites were blended since the grantee listed them in the report. In all other cases where it was unclear if blended pre-K seats were being operated, we compared the addresses and names of Head Start centers to the addresses of public schools in Mississippi. Where we found Head Start sites that overlapped (either by site name or by address), we marked them as blended pre-K. Additionally, in cases where we identified blended pre-K classrooms from the Head Start grantee but could not find enrollments, we used MDE’s 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report to fill in enrollment gaps. We removed all blended pre-K numbers from both the district counts and the Head Start counts and placed them in their own category—blended pre-K. We also referenced our previous report to see if any previously identified blended programs did not appear in our new data set so that we could double-check program locations. For these cases, we double-checked our information from Head Start grantees and school districts. If we still had questions, we called or emailed school district personnel to determine the status of seats. If we could not confirm these definitively (usually because staff had changed and had no historic knowledge or because we could not get responses), we made our best guess based on all available evidence. Additionally, for the first time, we found Head Start seats operating at childcare centers that we marked as blended pre-K in Lowndes, Marshall, and Leflore counties (see the Access to Pre-K, 2022-2023 brief). In cases where blended seats have an asterisk on the dashboard, it is because these are estimates that we could not definitively verify due to constraints from our Head Start data. In previous reports, we have referred to this category as Blended Head Start. To calculate the total, we combined the number of four-year-old children present in blended pre-K classrooms.
Total Number and Percentage of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Public Childcare in Mississippi
The total number of children enrolled in public childcare programs in 2022-2023 was obtained from MDE’s 2023 Spring Pre-K assessment report. Public childcare seats are seats subsidized by the state’s early learning collaboratives. To calculate the total, we combined the number of four-year old children present in public childcare classrooms.
Total Number of Four-Year-Olds Enrolled in Pre-K in Mississippi
The total number of four-year-olds enrolled in pre-K in Mississippi was calculated by combining the total number of four-year-olds enrolled in Head Start programs, school districts, blended pre-K programs, and childcare programs from 2022-2024.
Estimated Number of Four-Year-Olds (State)
For the estimated number of four-year-olds in the state each year, we used population data generated by the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. Census normally reports unbridged age data by age spans (e.g., under five). These single-year estimates by age are statistical estimates created from intercensal (between census) data and reflect estimated populations as of July 1 of a year. For this report, we requested single-year estimates by county. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division provided us with a spreadsheet titled “Vintage Population Estimates 2022.” The data set represents a tabulation from the “blended base” for April 1, 2020, which integrates the results of the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series. We use the year leading into a child’s pre-K year, e.g., 2022 for the 2022-2023 school year, etc., for the estimate. We calculated the estimated number of four-year-olds in the state
by adding each county’s number of four-year-olds. The Census does not report error estimates for this data though they caution that “any small population group…has the most potential for error.”
County Data Definitions
Estimated Number of Four-Year-Olds (County)
For the estimated number of four-year-olds in each county each year, we used population data generated by the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. Census normally reports unbridged age data by age spans (e.g., under five) on a county level. These single-year estimates by age and by county are statistical estimates created from intercensal (between census) data and reflect estimated populations as of July 1 of a year. For this report, we requested single-year estimates by county. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division provided us with a spreadsheet titled “Vintage Population Estimates 2022.” The data set represents a tabulation from the “blended base” for April 1, 2020, which integrates the results of the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series. We use the year leading into a child’s pre-K year, e.g., 2022 for the 2022-2023 school year, etc., for the estimate. The Census does not report error estimates for this data though they caution that “any small population group…has the most potential for error.”
Total Pre-K Seats (County)
Total pre-K seats is the sum of school district, blended pre-K, Head Start, and licensed childcare (including any “public” childcare) enrollments for four-year-old children in a county in 2022-2024. This number includes all collaborative pre-K program enrollments as well. Please note that it reflects pre-K enrollment, not capacity.
Pre-K Access Rate for Four-Year-Olds (County)
Access to pre-K for four-year-olds in 2022-2024 by county is represented in the county dashboard. This graphic displays countywide data, and because some of the component data points are estimates, the access rates in the dashboard are estimates. Each percentage presented uses as its numerator one of the data points described below and as the denominator the estimated number of four-year-olds in the county.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Licensed Childcare.
Number of Children by Provider Type
Estimated Number of Four-Year-Olds
The “percentage of children in licensed childcare” uses as its numerator the total number of four-year-olds enrolled in licensed childcare programs in May 2024. We obtained this data primarily from a report generated by the MSDH, which compiled the number of all four-year-old children by center. The report contained an entry for each licensed childcare center in May 2024. The numbers are self-reported by center administrators at the time of initial licensure or licensure renewal. Licensure is valid for one calendar year from the date of issue unless it is a temporary license, in which case it is valid for six months. As a result, the enrollment of four-year-old children could date to May 2023 or the enrollment could be current as of May 2024 and remain unchanged until May 2025. MSDH operates the Licensure and Reporting System (LARS) to collect information on childcare. LARS is an operational database that does not archive information and updates when childcare providers provide information. As a result, historical data does not exist. Please interpret these numbers with caution. The access rate is displayed on the dashboard, but is not part of the overall public access rate.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Head Start. The “percentage of children in Head Start” uses as its numerator the total enrollment of four-year-olds3 at all Head Start centers in each county. This data came from a variety of sources. Our primary source of data was MSDH licensure data submitted by Head Start grantees (see the discussion of concerns about childcare data in the State Data Definitions section). While this was our most comprehensive data source, it was incomplete because only Head Start sites operating in classrooms outside school buildings are included in MSDH licensure data. We used additional sources to create and verify our Head Start enrollment figures, including data collected directly from grantees, grantee enrollments reported to the Office of Head Start (OHS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report, and enrollments reported to MDE. Additionally, we used data from the Office of Head Start Collaboration (OHSC) to identify all centers operating in the 2022-2023 school year and fill in gaps in the data where we could not find another source.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in District Pre-K. The “percentage of children in district pre-K” uses as its numerator the number of children enrolled when combining data from every school district program in the county. This data does not include children in school district programs exclusively designed to serve children with disabilities;4 however, these counts do include children with disabilities enrolled in regular education programs. In most cases, the number of seats in districts is constructed from the number of children who took the 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment in each school district, with adjustments for blended pre-K (see below). Please note that unlike 2017-2018, special education-only enrollments were disaggregated from general education pre-K enrollments in the District and School Data tool on MDE’s website. As a result, special education-only pre-K enrollments were not removed from the number of seats in districts.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Blended Pre-K. The “percentage of children in blended pre-K” uses as its numerator the number of children served in programs jointly funded by a school district and a Head Start partner in each county. Mississippi First constructed this data through several methods. We directly surveyed school districts and Head Start grantees to determine if they operated any blended pre-K classrooms and to identify the locations of those sites. In the case of one Head Start grantee (Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc.), we used the HSCO capacity data to determine if sites were blended since the grantee listed them in the report. In all other cases where it was unclear if blended pre-K seats were being operated, we compared the addresses and names of Head Start centers to the addresses of public schools in Mississippi. Where we found Head Start sites that overlapped (either by site name or by address), we marked them as blended pre-K. Additionally, in cases where we identified blended pre-K classrooms from the Head Start grantee but could not find enrollments, we used MDE’s 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report to fill in enrollment gaps. We removed all blended pre-K numbers from both the district counts and the Head Start counts and placed them in their own category—blended pre-K. In previous reports, we have referred to this category as Blended Head Start.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Pre-K. The “percentage of children in pre-K” uses as its numerator the total number of children enrolled inschool district, Head Start, childcare, and blended pre-K programs serving four-year-olds in each respective county.
3 We do not include enrollments for the Head Start programs operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians because these seats are not available to all children.
4 As we explain in the body of the report, we do not include enrollment figures for special education-only programs in any of our school district numbers. This is for several reasons. These counts do not always represent full-week, classroom-based services. These seats can fluctuate year to year based on the actual number of children a district is required to serve and may not be an accurate representation of generally available pre-K programs. Although access to special education-only pre-K is sometimes access to full-week, classroom-based pre-K, regular education pre-K seats best represent access to pre-K as they are available to all children regardless of disability status and always mean classroom-based pre-K. Finally, because special education populations are small, special education-only program numbers are often suppressed, making it hard to know exactly how many children are served.
School District Data Definitions
Total Number of Children Enrolled in Kindergarten (2023-2024)
This data was obtained from the District and School Data tool on the Mississippi Department of Education’s website. The number represents all the students by district (traditional and charter) enrolled in kindergarten in 2023-2024 who were not in self-contained special education classrooms. We used 2023-2024 kindergarten enrollment data because it captures information about the 2022-2023pre-K cohort.
Public Pre-K Access for 2023-2024 Kindergarteners by School District
Number of Children by Provider Type
Estimated Number of Kindergar teners in School Distric ts
Access to public pre-K for 2023-2024 kindergarteners by school district is represented in the school district dashboard. This graphic shows district-wide data. Because some of the component data points are estimates, the access rates present in the dashboard are estimates. The data include students served in full-week, classroom-based programs that are not exclusively for students with disabilities. Each percentage presented uses as its numerator one of the data points described below and as the denominator the estimated number of kindergarteners present in each school district.
Total Number and Percentage of Children Who Transitioned to District from Head Start (2023-2024). This data reflects the number of 2023-2024 kindergarteners in each school district that we estimate attended Head Start in 2022-2023.5 In the past, Mississippi First had exact transition data from Head Start centers (data documenting where children matriculated after Head Start), and we found that nearly all students transitioned to the public kindergarten in the district where their Head Start center was located. As a result, for single-district counties, we use Head Start seat counts from 2022-2023 to estimate how many Head Start seats were available to 2023-2024 kindergarteners from those districts. For multiple-district counties, we assume that students would transition to the school district where the Head Start center was located. We urge readers to view these numbers as estimates and interpret them with caution, especially on an individual school district level. The data was constructed by Mississippi First using a variety of sources. Our primary source of data was MSDH licensure data submitted by Head Start grantees (see the discussion of concerns about childcare data in the State Data Definitions section). While this was our most comprehensive data source, it was incomplete because only Head Start sites operating in classrooms outside school buildings are included in MSDH licensure data. We used additional sources to create and verify our Head Start enrollment figures, including data collected directly from grantees, grantee enrollments reported to the Office of Head Start (OHS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report, and enrollments reported to MDE. Additionally, we used data from the Office of Head Start Collaboration (OHSC) to identify all centers operating in the 2022-2023 school year and fill in gaps in the data where we could not find another source.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in District Pre-K (2022-2023). This data reflects the number of children in each district enrolled in that district’s pre-K program in 2022-2023. This data does not include children in school district
5 We do not include enrollments for the Head Start programs or school districts operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians because these seats are not available to all children.
programs exclusively designed to serve children with disabilities;6 however, these counts do include children with disabilities enrolled in regular education programs. In most cases, the number of seats in district(s) is constructed from the number of children who took the 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment in each school district, with adjustments for blended pre-K (see below). Please note that unlike 2017-2018, special education-only enrollments were disaggregated from general education pre-K enrollments in the District and School Data tool on MDE’s website. As a result, special education-only pre-K enrollments were not removed from the number of seats in districts. We made the assumption that the same number of children who were enrolled in a district’s pre-K program in 2022-2023 matriculated to that district’s kindergarten class in 2023-2024, unless otherwise noted.
Total Number and Percentage of Blended Pre-K Seats (2022-2023). This data reflects the number of children served in programs jointly funded by a school district and a Head Start partner. Mississippi First constructed this data through several methods. We directly surveyed school districts and Head Start grantees to determine if they operated any blended pre-K classrooms and to identify the locations of those sites. In the case of one Head Start grantee (Mississippi Action for Progress, Inc.), we used the HSCO capacity data to determine if sites were blended since the grantee listed them in the report. In all other cases where it was unclear if blended pre-K seats were being operated, we compared the addresses and names of Head Start centers to the addresses of public schools in Mississippi. Where we found Head Start sites that overlapped (either by site name or by address), we marked them as blended pre-K. Additionally, in cases where we identified blended pre-K classrooms from the Head Start grantee but could not find enrollments, we used MDE’s 2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment report to fill in enrollment gaps. We removed all blended pre-K numbers from both the district counts and the Head Start counts and placed them in their own category—blended pre-K. In previous reports, we have referred to this category as Blended Head Start. We assumed that the same number of children who were enrolled in a district’s blended pre-K program in 2022-2023 matriculated to that district’s kindergarten class in 2023-2024, unless otherwise noted.
Total Number and Percentage of Children in Public Childcare (2022-2023). This data reflects the number of children enrolled in public childcare programs in 2022-2023. Public childcare seats are subsidized by the state’s early learning collaboratives.
6 As we explain in the body of the report, we do not include enrollment figures for special education-only programs in any of our school district numbers. This is for several reasons. These counts do not always represent full-week, classroom-based services. These seats can fluctuate year to year based on the actual number of children a district is required to serve and may not be an accurate representation of generally available pre-K programs. Although access to special education-only pre-K is sometimes access to full-week, classroom-based pre-K, regular education pre-K seats best represent access to pre-K as they are available to all children regardless of disability status and always mean classroom-based pre-K. Finally, because special education populations are small, special education-only program numbers are often suppressed, making it hard to know exactly how many children are served.
Sources
This section provides further information about sources, especially those that are not publicly available or those that are similar. Sources that need no further explanation are merely cited.
Data from the Mississippi Department of Education
2023 Spring Pre-K Assessment Data
This data is reported on the MDE Office of Public Reporting’s 2023 Student Assessment website in a report titled “Spring 2023 Pre-Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Results for Early Learning Collaboratives and Other Four-Year-Old Classrooms.” It reflects the number of children enrolled in a district or collaborative pre-K program who participated in the spring 2023 state pre-K assessment. District numbers are summarized and reported by school. Collaborative numbers are summarized and reported by site, including non-district sites.
MDE Enrollment Data, 2022-2023 Pre-Kindergarten and 2023-2024 Kindergarten
This data is reported on the MDE Office of Public Reporting’s School and District Data website. Data can be downloaded by school year and grade for the state and for each district.
Consolidated Federal Programs Application
This data was collected from responses to survey questions included in the 2023 Consolidated Federal Programs Application (CFPA) administered by MDE in the fall of 2022 for the 2023 federal fiscal year (October-September). All school districts in Mississippi must complete this application to receive federal education dollars; however, the questions pertaining to pre-K were optional. Mississippi First received a list of responses from all districts after submitting a public records request to MDE. The 2022-2023 CFPA asked each district to report the type of degrees teachers in the district held; the number of classrooms in the district offering pre-K services; and the district’s pre-K assessments, curriculum, and special services. Ninety-five districts responded to at least one of the optional questions, but not all districts provided answers to all questions. The CFPA is typically completed by a school district’s federal programs officer who may or may not have in-depth knowledge of a district’s pre-K program. Like all information in the CFPA, the pre-K responses are self-reported and reflect information about the district, not school- or teacher-level data.
Teacher Licensure Data
This data was collected from a report titled “2022-2023 PK Teacher-Student Data” provided to Mississippi First by MDE through a public records request. Our request sought each license and endorsement held by each teacher in each district with a pre-K program, along with the number of students assigned to each teacher. This data set provided the exact credentials of all lead teachers in the districts it included, but it did not include data about assistants’ credentials as this information is not routinely collected by MDE. This report included data for one hundred four districts.
Survey Data
This data was collected by Mississippi First through a direct survey of school districts in March to August 2024. The survey was sent to federal programs officers or the appropriate early childhood or pre-K office at each school district, excluding charter schools.7 The survey
7 Charter schools could not operate pre-K programs until a state grant for pre-K to Midtown Public Charter Schools and SR1 College Preparatory and STEM Academy necessitated a policy change by the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board in February 2024. As a result, we did not survey charter schools even though four-year-olds matriculate to their schools for kindergarten.
asked each district to report the number of children served in pre-K; the number of pre-K classrooms operated; the type of teacher and assistant teacher credentials; and the district’s pre-K collaborations, assessments, and finances. Eighty-seven districts responded to the survey, including partial completes. The responses are self-reported and reflect information about the district, not school- or teacherlevel data.
Data from the Office of Head Start at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Head Start Collaboration
Head Start Grantee Enrollment Data
This data was obtained from the Program Information Report (PIR) that the Office of Head Start at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collects each year. Enrollments are reported in aggregate for each grant a grantee receives. The PIR in a given year is based on prior year data, i.e., the 2023 PIR is based on data from the 2022-2023 school year.
Head Start Center Funded Slots Data
This data was obtained from the Office of Head Start Collaboration. This data set provided information about funded slots, which is the maximum number of four-year-olds that can be served, at each center for every Head Start grantee in the state as of November 2022.
Head Start Grantee
Survey Data
This data was collected by Mississippi First in a direct survey of Head Start grantees in October 2024 to March 2025. The survey was sent to executive directors or the appropriate enrollment personnel at each Head Start grantee except Coahoma Opportunities, Inc., which had a full dataset from MSDH and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw. The survey asked each grantee to provide the number of four-year-olds enrolled at each site and to identify any blended classrooms operating. Of the state’s fifteen Head Start grantees, thirteen were surveyed for additional information. Of the thirteen surveyed, eleven grantees responded, though only seven grantees provided information. The responses are self-reported and reflect information about the grantee, not county- or center-level data.
Data from the Mississippi State Department of Health Childcare Licensure Data
This data was compiled by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) from enrollments submitted by childcare centers at the time of licensure. The report contained an entry for each licensed childcare center in May 2024. Mississippi First requested an Excel workbook of the number of all four-year-old children by center during the 2022-2023 school year, but the MSDH was unable to fulfill the request because the Licensure and Reporting System (LARS), the database the MSDH operates to collect information on childcare, is an operational database that does not archive information. The enrollment figures are self-reported by center administrators at the time of initial licensure or licensure renewal. Licensure is valid for one calendar year from the date of issue unless it is a temporary license, in which case it is valid for six months. As a result, the enrollment of four-year-old children could date to May 2023 or the enrollment could be current as of May 2024 and remain unchanged until May 2025. Please interpret these numbers with caution. In the childcare appendix, all information is from the MSDH-compiled report. In the Head Start appendix, information from the MSDH-compiled report is labeled “MSDH.”
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau Census Data on the Population of Four-Year-Old Children
The U.S. Census Bureau normally reports age data in age groups (e.g., under five). To verify the number of four-year-olds in the state, we requested single-year estimates by county. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division provided us with a spreadsheet titled “Vintage Population Estimates 2022.” The data set represents a tabulation from the “blended base” for April 1, 2020, which integrates the results of the 2020 Census, the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates, and the Vintage 2020 estimates series. Please note that using data on the county level, or any small population group, has the most potential for error. However, the margins of error for the data were not reported by the Census.
Table 1. Four-Year-Old Enrollment by Provider Type by County Numbers in red are capacity estimates. We used capacity estimates provided by the OHSC in cases where we could not find actual enrollment data. Enrollment data represents an estimate of the number of children served, while capacity data represents the number of children Head Start grantees were funded to serve. See the State Head Start Data Definition for more information.
Table 2. Public Four-Year-Old Enrollment by Provider Type by School District
Numbers in red are capacity estimates. We used capacity estimates provided by the OHSC in cases where we could not find actual enrollment data. Enrollment data represents an estimate of the number of children served, while capacity data represents the number of children Head Start grantees were funded to serve. See the State Head Start Data Definition for more information.