HB255

Mississippi Universal Prekindergarten Program Act of 2026 establishes a voluntary prekindergarten program.

Mississippi Universal Prekindergarten Program Act of 2026 creates a voluntary prekindergarten program for four-year-old children. The program is to be implemented through early learning collaboratives, which are comprised of public school districts, private providers, and other early childhood programs. The State Department of Education and the Division of Early Childhood Care and Development are to establish minimum standards for prequalification of private providers, review existing quality standards for prekindergarten education programs, and establish a process to calculate an annual.