Infants in Mississippi have less access to healthcare and education opportunities than most other states according to the national nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. The organization has released its fourth annual State of Babies Yearbook analyzing the needs of toddlers across race, location and income demographics. Patricia Cole is Senior Director of Federal Policy. She says Mississippi falls behind nearly every state in access to healthcare for young children.
“A place that Mississippi is doing well is in the percentage of women who receive late or no prenatal care, and it’s actually very low. It’s one of the lowest in the country. So that tells you that there are strategies out there that are effectively reaching mothers,” says Cole. “There’s a lot of local implementation work that has to be done.”
Cole says extending postpartum Medicaid coverage could help families in the state stay healthy and could potentially lower Mississippi’s high infant mortality rate.
Despite the state’s nationally recognized success in early learning collaboratives, the report ranks Mississippi near the bottom in early childhood education. Cole says the report considers how often parents talk to their babies, read to them or share stories to help develop communication skills.
“Mississippi is really at the bottom of parents reading to their babies every day at less than 28%. And a little less than half sing or talk or tell stories to their babies every day,” says Cole. “How do we support parents overall? One strategy is to place child development specialists in primary care practices. Another is to expand home visiting.”
