We Are Seeking Partners for the 2025-2026 Academic Year

The Mississippi Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (MS CGLR), in partnership with CELI, invites communities and schools to apply to implement Parent Academy for the 2025 – 2026 academic year. 

​

Parent Academy consists of six in-person sessions covering eight modules, each with practical activities and suggested materials for home use. Sessions are designed to be delivered monthly in the evening and last approximately 1.5 hours. Sites are responsible for preparing, coordinating, and facilitating these sessions. See application for more information.  

​

If your community or school is interested in serving as a Parent Academy site, please review the application linked below and submit the completed form to Kayla Denton at kndenton@olemiss.edu by Friday, September 5, 2025. 

 

For questions, contact Kayla Denton at kndenton@olemiss.edu

​

​

 

​​​​​

More About Parent Academy  

Parent Academy is a free program designed to help parents prepare their four-year-old children for a successful start to kindergarten.  The program covers kindergarten-readiness topics such as oral language, early reading, math, and general development. The modules are conducted monthly at a local partner site, focusing on eliminating barriers to access by providing childcare on-site, food and beverage, and activities families may take home and use with their children to support their learning and development. Parents who complete the program will be honored during a graduation ceremony. 

  

Initially developed by the Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI), Parent Academy was successfully implemented in 32 schools statewide between 2016 and 2019. More than 1,400 parents and caregivers attended and graduated from the program.  Parent Academy has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents who have participated in the workshops. 

  

“Parent Academy has given me tools and resources I didn’t even know I needed. I’ve been telling my friends about it,” said Christabel Hamilton, an Oxford parent who completed the program in 2020. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​​​

  

​

The program was relaunched for the 2024-2025 academic year under CELI leadership in partnership with MSGLR communities. CELI will also launch a revised website to provide additional resources to parents participating in the program. 

​

Reflecting on the program’s impact, MSCGLR Director Alissa Hobart says she is “excited to see Parent Academy continue to grow across our state” and hopes “every family will feel empowered, and every child will walk into kindergarten feeling confident, curious, and ready to learn.”

​

The 2025–2026 program kicks off this fall! Stay tuned here and follow @msglreading to find the Parent Academy program closest to your community.

​