Mississippi received some good news Tuesday from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The state’s Early Learning Collaboratives met all 10 quality standards for early childhood education, and it was only five states in the country that hit all 10 goals.

The 2015 State of Preschool yearbook from the NIEER shows that those children who are in preschool programs are truly getting a head start above their peers and are getting quality learning time when their brains are eager to absorb information.

The Mississippi Legislature showed it was serious when it passed the 2013 Early Learning Collaborative Act to provide local communities with funding to further facilitate early childhood education. It enabled ELCs to include nonprofits or public schools in efforts to manage a 4-year-old prekindergarten program.

Their push to get money into preschool initiatives will hopefully be continued in the future. And, we hope that parents take note of the high success rate Mississippi is showing in preschool and think hard about getting their children into a program, which often involves a waiting list, where they can get a head start at life.

Better yet, we hope the state can find a way to implement preschool for all kids, whether it is through ELCs or through the public school system.