Research shows that children in high-quality early childhood education programs perform better in school and complete more years of education. Jackson Public Schools worked with local partners to establish the JPS-Hinds Early Learning Collaborative to ensure there are enough Pre-K slots for every four-year-old in Jackson, Miss.
We worked with Jackson Public Schools (JPS) to create a brand that complemented the school district logo we designed for them years earlier. Then, we began work with JPS and its collaborative partners to inform families about the benefits of enrolling in the district’s Pre-K program and foster a culture that values and supports early learning.
Services Provided
Branding
Graphic Design
Website Design and Content Management
Public Relations
Communications Strategy and Implementation
Social Media Management
Event Planning and Production
Videography and Video Production
Insight.
The Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 paved the way for the establishment of early learning collaboratives across the state of Mississippi. In 2022, Jackson Public Schools was awarded a collaborative grant from the Mississippi Department of Education, enabling the district to fulfill its commitment to ensuring every four-year-old in Jackson has a strong start to their academic journey.
Through our work with Head Start and other early learning projects, we understood the tremendous impact high-quality early childhood education has on children, families, and communities. In addition to increasing education outcomes for children, public Pre-K programs make it easier for parents to increase work hours and pursue their own educational goals.
We also found that the relative newness of public Pre-K in Jackson meant that parents and guardians weren’t aware public school was an option for their four-year-olds. Families were accustomed to sending their children to private childcare or Head Start until they were ready for kindergarten, especially in the neighborhoods where schools had not offered Pre-K in the past. In addition, we learned that the school registration process can be difficult for some families, often requiring multiple trips and taking time off work to go to the JPS central office or their child’s eventual school.
Innovation.
Through our work with JPS, we have explored various creative ways to engage families and promote a strong early learning culture in Jackson. Two of the most exciting efforts have been our Pre-K Enrollment Tour and Read Across Jackson Day.
We planned and launched the Pre-K Enrollment Tour to take Pre-K registration to families throughout the city. We incentivized enrollment by offering free donuts, pizza, and frosties for completing the registration process. At each location, we pulled up with a charter bus with WiFi and a DJ to make the registration process convenient, comfortable, and fun. One stop included a special performance from a local high school band to show families what their children can look forward to as high school scholars.
We created Read Across Jackson Day to celebrate reading and highlight books and authors the Pre-K scholars and their teachers can identify with (the JPS student population is 94% Black and 3% Hispanic). During the day, we brought hundreds of Pre-K scholars to Tougaloo College to listen to books about the weather, animals, cooking, and more with readers from local television, museums, and colleges. Scholars also played a massive game of “Keepy Uppy”, and each teacher could take a collection of the day’s books back to their classroom.