Parents of pre-k children within the Sunflower County Consolidated School District can now take classes at the Capps Center in Indianola, courtesy of the district.
Thanks to a sizeable donation by Oxford-based Second Chance Mississippi, Superintendent Miskia Davis said the district has the ability to fully fund tuition and books for dozens of pre-k parents in the county.
Davis said this is something the district has looked at for a while, but until now, has been unable to afford it.
“Of course we want to help parents, but there’s only so much the district can do and afford, but now we have this extra pot of money where we can help parents,” Davis said.
LeighAnn Reynolds, director of Early Childhood for the district, said Second Chance Mississippi has given a total of $150,000 to the district, with a Memorandum of Understanding that a percentage would be designated as a “parent piece.”
The school has $65,000 it can spend on the program, with some classes, such as the pharmacy tech program, costing as little as $340 to complete.
The school will pay for tuition and books, and Davis said there are some instances where the district would even pay gas money for those driving from outside Indianola.
The district has partnered with The Capps Center and has already had three parents enter the program, which could lead to certifications in careers such as welding, pharmacy tech, commercial driving and more.
“As long as they are a pre-k parent within our collaborative, they can take classes through the Capps Center,”Reynolds said.
SCCSD Director of Personnel and Student Affairs William Murphy said this program could prove to be transformative for local families with children in the district’s pre-k program.
“This has the potential to change the trajectory of a family,” Murphy said. “When you talk about generational poverty and things like that, the only way you can break it is a phenomenon has to occur. Something has to happen to shift out of that.”
Davis said this could help parents start a career and be able to spend more time at home with their kids.
Student Component
The district is not just looking to help its parents get a leg up through the Capps Center.
SCCSD has partnered with the center to bring seniors from Gentry High School and Ruleville Central High School to Capps in order to help more of them become certified in different areas prior to graduation.
Rosalind Johnson, director of the Indianola Career & Tech Center said the schools should start sending students to the Capps Center soon to begin the new Virtual Reality certification program.
This is a one-year program, and Davis said that the median salary for those in the field starts off at $40,000.
“Just imagine an 18 or 19 year-old child coming out, making $40,000,” Davis said.
Johnson said her students are tested twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, and most are testing at the Gold level on certifications for careers like welding and metal fabrication.
Davis said she hopes the students and parents will take advantage of these programs, and she said the district is always looking for ways to improve access to careers for students and parents.
“We’re not just sitting back, wallowing in these scores,” Davis said. “We’re doing everything we can to push our children, and in more than just English, Science, Math and U.S. History.”
Any parent of a pre-k child interested in taking advantage of the Early Learning Collaborative program can contact LeighAnn Reynolds at 662-884-1200.
