Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative

Click here to learn more. 

The Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative is dedicated to ensuring that Hattiesburg preschoolers are ready to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.

Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative's prekindergarten program is a full-day program. Our classes meet Monday - Friday. Our teacher to student ratio is 1:10. All HELC classrooms are provided with the same resources, assessments, high-quality curriculum, and experienced teachers. To see a full list of our partner sites, please click here. 

We use the OWL (Opening the World of Learning) curriculum. OWL is a comprehensive pre-kindergarten program that includes books, songs, stories, and conversations. It gives our students the opportunity to learn in the following domains: social and emotional development, language and communication, emergent literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, technology, and physical development. 

Our teachers also utilize assessments that align with the Mississippi Department of Education's Early Childhood Guidelines and Standards. Our classrooms implement a system of positive behavioral management programs designed to enhance desired behaviors and thus reduce student discipline problems through Conscious Discipline. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative Brochure

Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative Handbook

301 Mamie Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

PRVO Head Start 
100 West Front Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

216 South 21st Avenue, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Tunjia's Little Ones Child Development Center 
104 North 39th Avenue, Hattiesburg, MS 39402

TJ's Learning Center 
1903 Arcadia Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Smart Start Community School 
412 JC Killingsworth Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

USM Center for Child Development 
3404 Morningside Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

High-Quality Pre-K is Important 

When children start school without important skills, it becomes harder and harder for them to achieve their potential without considerable intervention. Supporting the Hattiesburg Early Learning Collaborative is a direct investment in preparing Hattiesburg's youngest students! Your donation will fund resources significantly impacting students' positive attitudes toward school and love for learning. 

Donating is Easy! 

• Submit check payable to: 

Hattiesburg, MS 39403

• Upon receipt of the check, we will respond immediately with an acknowledgment letter. A donation certificate will follow from the Mississippi Department of Education. 
• When filing taxes, simply submit a copy of the donation certificate with form 80-401.

More about The State Tax Credit

• Individuals or corporations who make a contribution to support the local matching fund of an approved early learning collaborative may be eligible to receive a state tax credit for the donated amount up to $1 million.
• The Mississippi Department of Revenue can approve 1:1 tax credits up to the amount the legislature appropriates to the Early Learning Collaborative Act each year. 
• Learn more about tax credit general information here.

The Importance of High-Quality Pre-K in Mississippi

• When children start school without important skills, it becomes harder and harder for them to achieve their potential without considerable intervention. These challenges can often lead children to face more severe issues, such as being retained ina grade, experiencing discipline troubles, and failing to finish high school. Mississippi must help families get their children ready to succeed in school.

Mississippi’s Investment in High-Quality Pre-K

• In 2013, the State of Mississippi took a historic step by passing the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013. The law established a collaborative delivery, a state-funded pre-K program in which private or parochial schools, private childcare centers, and/or Head Start centers may join with a local public school district and compete for state funds in order to provide pre-kindergarten services to a specific community. In the first cohort, 11 collaboratives were funded, representing the first-ever investment the State of Mississippi has made in pre-K. All funded collaboratives will adhere to state regulations requiring that they meet nationally recognized standards of quality. 

Costs for Providing Pre-K

• Under the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013, the costs for providing pre-kindergarten services to four-year-old children amount to $4,300 per child enrolled in full-day programs and $2,150 per child enrolled in half-day programs. The State of Mississippi provides half of these costs ($2,150 per child enrolled in full-day pre-K and $1,075 per child enrolled in half-day pre-K). However, the State requires that the other half being provided by local matching funds, which may include local tax dollars, federal dollars (as allowed), parent tuition, philanthropic contributions, or in-kind donations of facilities, equipment, and services required as part of the program, such as food service or health screenings.

What is the total amount of credits available for this tax year? 

• The Mississippi Department of Revenue can approve 1:1 tax credits up to the amount the legislature appropriates to the Early Learning Collaborative Act each year. 

The State Tax Credit

• Individuals or corporations who make a contribution to support the local matching fund of an approved early learning collaborative may be eligible to receive a state tax credit for the donated amount up to $1 million.