Check out these family-friendly Halloween events throughout the state! Click on the individual, hyperlinked event names to be directed to their sites for more information (location, cost, etc.) Happy Halloween! Organization/Event Name Location Date/Time Trunk or Treat and Movie at the Park Ridgeland, MS Thursday, October 27, 6-8 pm Halloween Spooktacular Safestop Oxford, MS Friday, […]

October is World Mental Health Month, and October 10 was recognized as World Mental Health Day. WMH Day is a day rooted in mental health education, awareness, and advocacy to battle social stigma. WMHD was first celebrated in 1992 as a result of the World Federation for Mental Health–every year since 1994 has had a […]

As a follow-up to the “Untapped Potential: How Childcare and Early Education Impacts Mississippi’s State Economy” Summit held in March 2022, the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi announced planning grant opportunities for community based Early Childhood Councils.  We are thrilled to announce the following recipients of these planning grants: Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Mayor’s […]

Mark your calendars! On January 18, 2023, CFM will be holding our second annual Summit— Untapped Potential Part 2: Tapping into our Potential. Scan the QR code or visit our website to sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up-to-date as we release more information! For Mississippi to reach its potential, our children […]

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. NCOAM’s purpose is to raise awareness about childhood obesity because, in most cases, it’s preventable. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that once were only seen in adults, like heart disease, high blood pressure, and […]

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! NCCAM’s purpose is rooted in supporting those affected by childhood cancer as well as the fight to end this disease. In 2012, President Obama proclaimed September as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to bring awareness to pediatric cancer. This is due to Cancer being the leading cause of […]

CFM is excited to introduce our two HSPH Fellows that will be working with us throughout this summer ’22, Amit Kumar and Rosie Batista! Rosie and Amit are graduate students at the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health and will be spending their fellowship with us working on two distinct but complementary policy briefs […]

Mississippi Ranks 48th in Overall Child Well-Being Mississippi ranks 48th in child well-being according to the 2022 KIDS COUNT®Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring. Children in America are also in the midst of a mental health crisis, struggling […]

August is National Immunization Awareness Month! NIAM is an annual observance that highlights the importance of the role of vaccines in protecting public health.  Mississippi is one of few states that requires all children entering school (from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade) to have the DTaP, Hepatitis B, Polio, MMR, and Chickenpox vaccines. Because of this requirement, more […]

Key Takeaways:  The Mississippi Economic Council’s yearly state-wide assessment lists childcare as one key challenge for both employers and employees. Mississippi’s lack of accessible childcare affects employers and employees and may lead to a less skilled workforce and lowered rates of employee retention. Childcare issues result in an estimated $673 million loss annually for Mississippi’s […]

Groundbreaking research inspired CFM, with support and sponsorship from the Phil Hardin Foundation (PHF) and MEC, to host a summit focused on sharing insights and connecting business and policy leaders in order to increase awareness about the importance of quality childcare.

What We Can Learn from Other States The foundations that young children build in the earliest stages of life help determine their future abilities to thrive. Mississippi could improve outcomes for young children-and for our state as a whole-by providing additional state resources to increase families’ access to early intervention supports. This brief examines which […]

The Children’s Foundation of Mississippi (CFM) will present alongside 30 other public health organizations and state agencies for a discussion on how early childhood professionals can acquire resources in order to further aid the children they serve.

The Vicksburg Post spoke with staff from two organizations in Warren County about how the Blueprint can help support their work to improve children’s well-being. Vicksburg YMCA Afterschool and Summer Program Director Dana Tankersley believes that the initiatives laid out in the Blueprint can definitely make an impact in helping their program meet the needs […]

The Children’s Foundation of Mississippi is thrilled to release the Blueprint for Improving the Future of Mississippi’s Children, a data-driven roadmap toward a better future of all Mississippi’s children. This document is the CFM’s signature project and the result of extensive research and analysis, conducted by our team and graduate students from Harvard T.H. Chan […]

Since the summer of 2020, the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi has partnered with the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University to provide graduate practicums and experiences. This year, the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi will serve as a virtual site for three students. We welcome Muksha Jingree, Himaja Nagireddy and Alyce Norcross. These […]

Darrin Webb, PhD, wrote the foreword to our 2021 Mississippi Risk & Reach Report. The Daily Journal published an Op-Ed adapted from that foreword, in which he writes: This report attempts to quantify the well-being (risks) of children as well as the availability of resources (reach) being provided. This data-driven assessment of the conditions on […]

We are pleased to share that The Children’s Foundation of Mississippi is partnering with the Mississippi Commission on Children’s Justice to plan a convening of organizations across the state on resource mapping. Please stay tuned and let us know if you’re interested in being a part of this meeting by sending your contact information to info@childrensfoundationms.org. Originally […]

How can families teach their kids fire safety and prevent lead poisoning? What effects do secondhand smoke and vaping have on young people? Experts in fire safety, lung health, and lead poisoning prevention discuss these questions and more during Episode 8 of Chat About Children, “Critical Areas in Childhood Prevention: What Everyone Needs to Know.” […]

Download County Risk Profiles for each county in Mississippi, using data from Mississippi’s 2021 Risk & Reach Report. A risk indicator (1=low risk; 4=high risk) is assigned for each of 16 factors in these categories: Economic, Health, Education, and Family and Community. Each fact-sheet is a print-ready PDF.