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
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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.
Income limits by family size
| Family size | Very Low Income priority tier (50% SMI, annual) | Income ceiling (85% SMI, annual) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $22,657 | $38,516 |
| 3 | $27,988 | $47,579 |
| 4 | $33,319 | $56,641 |
| 5 | $38,649 | $65,704 |
| 6 | $43,980 | $74,767 |
- Very Low Income priority tier (50% SMI, annual): Families at or below this level receive priority processing and reduced copays. Per MDHS CCPP policy.
- Income ceiling (85% SMI, annual): Maximum gross household income for new and continuing CCPP participants.
FY 2026 income limits at 50% SMI (Very Low Income priority tier) and 85% SMI (entry ceiling) by family size, per MDHS Division of Early Childhood Care and Development. Column 1 is the priority/lower-copay threshold; column 2 is the maximum income for any applicant. Mississippi uses 85% SMI as both the entry and continuing eligibility ceiling — there is no separate higher exit threshold. 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%.
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 licensed daycare in MississippiChildery directory — quality ratings, ZIP & city search
- Mississippi child care portalwww.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/parents/
- Eligibility screenerwww.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/parents/eligibility/
- Combined benefits applicationwww.mdhs.ms.gov/
- Mississippi 211 (dial 2-1-1)www.211.org/
- MDHS CCPP application pagewww.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/parents/apply/
- CCPP Updates (waitlist status)www.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/ccpp-updates/
- Early Learning Collaboratives — MDEmdek12.org/earlychildhood/early-learning-collaboratives/
- Federal childcare.gov — Mississippi resourceswww.childcare.gov/state-resources/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 daycaresSources
- Mississippi CCPP — MDHS Division of Early Childhood Care and Development
- CCPP Updates and Waitlist Status — MDHS
- Mississippi Individual Income Tax FAQs (state CDCC) — MS DOR
- NIEER 2024 Mississippi State Profile (ELC enrollment, 10/10 benchmarks) (2024)
- Early Childhood FY 2026 Appropriations — Mississippi First (2025)
- Federal childcare.gov — Mississippi resources
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.