Mississippi State University Early Childhood Institute Joins Gulf Coast Relief Effort

SEPT. 2, 2005 | Mississippi State University Early Childhood Institute has lent its support to relief work in the region hit by Hurricane Katrina, hosting an online clearinghouse of information on early care and education and developing maps of licensed child care providers in the disaster area.

The clearinghouse, the Gulf Coast Early Childhood Relief Project, will provide updates on efforts to support young children and families temporarily living in shelters as well as early care and education programs that must rebuild.

The first in a projected series of maps of the Hurricane Katrina disaster area displays the location of Mississippi licensed child care providers in relation to the severity of wind damage from the hurricane. See the map here. The maps are part of the Rural Early Childhood Atlas, a joint initiative of Rural Early Childhood and the Rural Policy Research Institute.