Child Care Subsidies & Assistance in Mississippi

Mississippi's Child Care Payment Program serves families up to 85% SMI (~$56,000 family of 4) with a Very Low Income distinction at 50% SMI. Waitlist has been active since April 2025 with rolling invitations. State CDCC is 25% of federal, capped at $50,000 AGI.

Data current as of May 21, 2026

Child care subsidy (CCDF) in Mississippi

Program name: Child Care Payment Program (CCPP)
Administered by: Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Division of Early Childhood Care and Development
Income ceiling: Entry ceiling 85% State Median Income. Policy distinguishes Very Low Income (≤50% SMI) from Low Income (50–85% SMI) for priority and copay tiering.
Family fee / copay: Sliding-scale copay by family size and income. Parents also pay any gap between the provider's full rate and CCPP's reimbursement rate.
Waitlist status: Recently re-opened — MDHS paused new applications for non-priority families April 1, 2025 after federal pandemic-era funding expired. Rolling waitlist invitations resumed August 1, 2025 (10-day response window). Recertifications no longer require re-entering the waitlist as of November 24, 2025. Waitlist processing continues until current funds are obligated; will pause again when exhausted.
Apply: www.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/parents/apply/

Income limits by family size

Family size	Income ceiling (85% SMI, annual)	Very Low Income tier (50% SMI, annual)
2	$38,516	$22,657
3	$47,579	$27,988
4	$56,641	$33,319
5	$65,704	$38,649
6	$74,767	$43,980

Income ceiling (85% SMI, annual): Maximum gross household income for new applicants.
Very Low Income tier (50% SMI, annual): Families at or below this level receive priority and reduced copays.

FY 2026 income limits at 85% SMI (entry ceiling) and 50% SMI (Very Low Income tier) by family size, per MDHS Division of Early Childhood Care and Development. Effective October 1, 2025; check the state portal for the latest figures.

Priority groups (served first)

Families receiving TANF or transitioning from TANF
Children in MDCPS foster care
Teen parents
Children with special needs
Deployed military families
Families experiencing homelessness

State pre-K in Mississippi

Program name: Early Learning Collaboratives (ELC) and State-Initiated Pre-K (SIP)
Administered by: Mississippi Department of Education (MDE)
Access: Income-targeted
Eligibility: Children turning 4 by September 1 of the program year. Resident of an ELC-served district. No income test for individual enrollment. ELC requires a 1:1 local match; SIP does not.
Coverage: 7,145 children enrolled in 2023-24 (6,283 ELC + 862 SIP) — 31st nationally for 4-year-old access (NIEER 2024). Mississippi has met 10 of 10 NIEER quality benchmarks. School districts offering ELC: 34%; SIP: 8%.
Apply: mdek12.org/earlychildhood/early-learning-collaboratives/

State tax credits & extras in Mississippi

State CDCC: Non-refundable. 25% of the federal CDCC. Non-refundable, so it only offsets Mississippi income tax owed. Hard income cliff: not available for AGI above $50,000.

Where to apply or get help in Mississippi

Find a daycare in Mississippi

Once you know what you qualify for, Childery's directory helps you pick a provider. Browse Mississippi's licensed daycares with independent Process and Structural quality ratings, or search by ZIP code or city.

Browse Mississippi daycares

Sources

Every state layers its own program on top of a federal floor — CCDF (the federal block grant), Head Start, the federal DCFSA (employer pre-tax benefit), and the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit. See the federal overview for what the floor looks like before any state adds.