JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Access to child care is a necessity if the state wants to increase its workforce.

That’s what the Mississippi Senate’s Workforce Participation and Women, Children and Families Study Groups are exploring.

“Unfortunately, child care remains an issue in many parts of our state,” said Senator Nicole Boyd.

The senators hope to better understand possible solutions.

“There is nothing more important than making sure we have a strong, quality workforce,” said Scott Waller, president and CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council. “And if people are not participating in this project because of this problem, we have to find solutions.”

Accelerate Mississippi notes that moms often haven’t been exposed to available opportunities or that there are barriers to fighting for better-paying work.

“There are many opportunities in the job market for single parents, but they won’t be able to access them if they have to leave their jobs to improve their skills,” said Courtney Taylor, executive director of Accelerate Mississippi. “We don’t want them to have to choose between work and school.”

Nonprofits and various industries are looking for ways to better connect people to resources. But senators say they are having these discussions to determine what they can do.

“We used ARPA funds in the state to make sure that we were closing some of these child care gaps,” Senator Boyd added. “This money is gone. So we’re trying to figure out how to bridge the gap now that those funds are no longer available.

The executive director of the Department of Human Services notes that his agency’s child care vouchers are part of what allows more people to stay in the workforce.

“Particularly in my role on the State Workforce Investment Board, I’ve been raising this child care issue, kind of like a canary in the coal mine, telling people we need to do something about child care,” said DHS Executive Director Bob Anderson. “We need to do something about child care.”

The presenters explained that most single mothers work in Mississippi, but many work in low-wage jobs. The Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative has piloted a program on the coast where it improves women’s skills and helps them access higher-paying jobs by providing assistance with other supports.

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