South Mississippi Strong: Moore Community House serves low-income families with free early childhood education

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Since 1924, Moore Community House has provided endless support to low-income families. For more than 20 years, early learning has been on the rise to ensure a valuable education for children in those families.

“It’s a huge support for working parents who need affordable care for their children,” said Executive Director Carol Burnett.

Meeting families halfway, Moore Community House Early Head Start bridges the gap between low-income wages and childcare needs by providing free education targeted specifically for young children from birth to age three.

Burnett said early education is the foundation of children’s success. In the classroom, many lessons are hands-on.

“We really approach this program as a comprehensive set of services that surround the child and the child’s family to try to maximize their opportunity for success,” Burnett said.

The support from Moore Community House starts as early as the mother’s pregnancy to ensure a smooth transition from birth into childcare.

“They almost never have any maternity leave," Burnett said. "So that transition happens really quick, and we do a lot of work to support that transition and to help know that her child is in a program that is a really quality early childhood program.”

Early Head Start provides endless opportunities for parents during hard times while offering a valuable community-driven learning experience for their children.

“So we’re constantly trying to be engaged in the community, to support families in the community, to make East Biloxi a very strong community,” Burnett said.

Moore Community House also helps build relationships between women and employers through employment and training referrals for parents of children in the Early Head Start program.

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