WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today announced a $600,000 grant to help 400 families with newborns and young children develop sound parenting skills.
 
The Appalachian Regional Commission is providing the $600,000 grant to Mississippi State University to fund Project Navigator, an early childhood development program.
 
“This grant will help Mississippi State University continue its commitment to improve childhood development and educate parents,” said Wicker. “This funding will provide parents with helpful tools and resources to assist them during the critical early period of a child’s life.” 
 
“Early care is important to the long-term wellbeing of a child,” Cochran said.  “I am pleased that the Appalachian Regional Commission has agreed to provide a substantial grant to support an innovative program designed to help very young children.”
 
Project Navigator, through a two-pronged strategy, seeks to increase cognitive development and prevent child abuse.  First, the Project Navigator initiative will educate parents of newborns while at the hospital through a Newborn Literacy training program and provide a take-home kit to families.  Additionally, Project Navigator will hire seven trained workers to help parents of young children in their home to teach important parenting skills. 
 
The ARC grant will be supplemented with $150,081 in state sources, making a total of $750,081 available for this program.
 
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