Alena Crear, 5, looks around as state leaders speak during a press conference on affordable child care and tax relief for family necessities Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at the Capitol in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today
Advocates say state leaders must address Mississippi’s 11-month child care crisis but warn the $15 million would only alleviate a fraction of roughly 20,000 households on a waitlist.