Vicksburg Warren School District (Vicksburg Warren School District) with United Way of West Central Mississippi, Vicksburg Family Development Service, Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, and the City of Vicksburg. The partners have come together and trained private-sector daycare center employees, distributed thousands of books to children, hosted Days of Action days to promote early childhood learning, and opened an Early Learning Resource Center at the local library where families can come to have access to computers and other resources.

Children who enter school without the fundamental knowledge, attributes, and skills necessary or success are more likely to struggle throughout their education if appropriate interventions are not put in place along the way. For every 50 children who don’t learn to read in
kindergarten, 44 of them will still have trouble reading in the third grade.

The Vicksburg/Warren Excel by 5 Coalition was formed in 2017 to coordinate the efforts of the community to stop this cycle and build the foundation of learning in our youngest children. Brain science is definitive that 0-5 years provides the greatest window of opportunity to optimize a child’s early experiences, developmental interactions, healthcare, nutrition, childcare and education. Ages 0-5 are the most critical time in a child’s cognitive development.

The Vicksburg/Warren County Excel by Five Coalition stresses the importance of the guiding principles of the certification process (1) collaboration is the key to success, (2) caregivers and early childhood educators need access to the appropriate resources and training, (3) economic growth is desired by all, and (4) the community needs to optimize existing resources while building capabilities through continuous improvement.

The Coalition earned the official Excel by Five Certified Community distinction in 2019, only two short years after their inception. The partners have come together to train private sector day care center employees, distribute thousands of books to children to encourage reading in the home, hosted Days of Action days to promote early childhood learning, open an Early Learning Resource Center at the local library where families can come to have access to computers and other resource and much more! (We dare say they have had a great time doing it, too!)

Generously funded by the City of Vicksburg, this partnership depends on the synergy between the funding organization, the School District, United Way of West Central Mississippi, Vicksburg
Family Development Services, and the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library for its success. This partnership is a great example of how organizations can work together to improve the lives of students and change the trajectory of an entire community.