State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Mississippi

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Mississippi could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $34,999 (191 percent of poverty, 79 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Mississippi had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $80 per month, or 5 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $155 per month, or 7 percent of its income in copayments.¹

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Mississippi’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.
o    Mississippi’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old was $68, or 18 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Mississippi’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old was $97, or 22 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Mississippi paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old at the highest quality tier was 9 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old at the highest quality tier was still below the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Mississippi allowed parents to qualify for or continue receiving child care assistance for up to 60 days while searching for a job.²  

¹For children in foster care or protective services and children receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, the copayment is $10 per month.
²Families can qualify for child care assistance for up to 60 days from the last day of the parent’s employment.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.