The team at Complete 2 Compete (C2C) is committed to helping Mississippi adults experience a better future by removing common barriers that keep adults from returning to college and finishing their degrees. It’s a worthy cause, and we could not do it without the support and funding received from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) and the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS).

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Mississippi Department of Human Services have helped fund not only the C2C Grant but also the outreach and administration of the C2C program. It also may surprise you to know that they support many other programs that help families right here in Mississippi to overcome challenges and realize a better life.

In this article we will feature several of the impactful programs WKKF and MDHS help to sustain. So, join us as we pull back the curtain to showcase these game-changing programs. You will learn about programs that help folks get through hardships, and others that help folks prosper. Chances are you will identify one or more that could be helpful for YOU or someone you know, today or in the future.

Introducing the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has provided over $4.8 million in funding in support of the C2C program since 2017. The funds help low-income returning adults and those with dependent children. It also helps students of color to return to college to complete their degrees.

The C2C Grant provides qualifying returning students with a $1,000 grant each semester. This assistance makes it possible for many adults to afford returning. The financial barriers adults must overcome when considering a return to complete a degree are real, but thanks to this generous contribution, thousands of adults have been able to return and afford the coursework they needed to graduate!

The Foundation has a rich legacy: it was started in 1930 by W.K. Kellogg, who invented ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. Now, nearly 100 years later, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is impacting lives across the United States and globally.

In the US, the foundation is committed to strengthening and creating equitable conditions so all children can reach their full potential in school, work and life, regardless of race or income. They understand that for children to thrive, they need to grow up in economically secure and healthy families; thus, the foundation’s focus on thriving children, working families, and equitable communities.

Also embedded within all that the W.K Kellogg foundation does is a commitment to community engagement and lifting community voice in solving their own problems, especially those communities with the greatest disparities. They are also committed to developing leaders and advancing racial equity and healing. They call these three approaches their “DNA” and believe they are essential to creating the conditions that propel vulnerable children and families to achieve success.

Children + Families + Communities

This background was shared by Paula Sammons, a senior program officer who has been with WKKF for more than 30 years. Paula met with us and enthusiastically shared facts about the foundation’s history and the reasoning behind the initiatives they support. For instance, their eagerness to support higher education for adults is rooted in their commitment to promoting lasting change for families that spans many generations. They recognize that investing in education, workforce readiness, and economic security for parents can break cycles of poverty in families and help children thrive for generations to come.

“[Studies show that] if we really want to impact two generations and break cycles of poverty, we need to invest in the economic security of parents, and especially when the children are young. C2C helps us advance this mission by investing in a parent’s education; this in turn, impacts the family’s earning potential and the quality of life of the children.” (source: Duncan and Magnuson 2011)

Wraparound Services for Returning Students

Ms. Sammons shared the need college students have for “wraparound” services beyond simple scholarships, especially as more students come back to college as adults. Many of the students returning to complete their degrees are women, and a large percentage are also parents. Wraparound services can help in overcoming other barriers they confront, from childcare, to transportation, to food security, along with others. These are all vital and somewhat unique to adult parents returning to college, intent on securing a degree and a better life for their family.

Ms. Sammons shares: “Colleges aren’t always thinking of their students as parents because it’s easy to just focus on them as ‘students.’ We’re trying to lift up and emphasize that since a good percentage of their student population are parents, that they will increase their retention and completion numbers if they make sure that parents can benefit from more wraparound supports. We are working with the colleges to really focus in on the moms and single parents…to help ensure that childcare needs are taken care of, transportation is provided, that they have access to work supports and tax credits, and that they have peer networking opportunities with other moms [like them who are returning in pursuit of a degree].”

To help communities provide these additional services, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation funds the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi (WFM) to advance two-generation programs for moms. This investment works to increase persistence and credentials at community colleges in Mississippi for low-income moms by providing wrap-around services, including quality early childhood care, books, supplies, and education, while also creating pathways to employment through implementing employer engagement. Through their dedication to education and completing their degrees, these parents are modeling valuable life skills for their children, impacting multiple generations – mothers and children – and cultivating the conditions where kids can flourish.

Another wraparound service critical to persistence and completion in college and retention on the job is coaching. A particular model created and funded by the Kellogg Foundation is called Family Centered Coaching.  (View a map here: Family-Centered Coaching.) It’s a trauma-informed coaching model centered on the family that equips coaches and case managers across various sectors staff with the “mindset, tools, and skills to work with families holistically toward economic stability, health, and wellness in all areas of their lives.” This method is designed to help human service, employment, childcare, and educational organizations steward positive change in their communities, bringing a lens of equity, self-empowerment, and strength-based coaching. It’s one more example of how WKKF promotes generational success in communities.

Cornerstone of Economic Mobility: Meaningful Job Opportunities
Since children tend to thrive in working families, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation invests in programs that help people to get jobs that provide higher wages and afford better living situations. In Mississippi, they invest in two programs that provide training beyond high school: MIBEST (Mississippi Integrated Basic Education & Skills Training) and MNCI (Mississippi National Certification Initiative). MIBEST focuses on adults who may not yet have finished high school, helping them complete a Graduate Equivalency Degree or GED. MNCI helps the state’s colleges provide trade and skill certifications for students. These programs help to provide valuable credentials and help people to be less likely to get laid off.

 Like C2C, these programs can help Mississippians bring even more career dreams to life. They are important resources that help Mississippians acquire valuable skills and gain valuable credentials that make it easier to find gainful employment and build a more stable future for them and their children.  

Introducing the Mississippi Department of Human Services

Another vital funding sponsor of the C2C program is the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS). This state agency is rooted in our communities and focused on the long-term economic health and wellbeing of Mississippians.

“Offering Mississippians Young and Old Tangible Help Today to Create Lasting Hope for Tomorrow” is a mission of MDHS. Their reach into our communities is vast with several divisions that together can help Mississippi residents move “from a state of crisis to self-sufficiency”. In that spirit, MDHS has provided funding for C2C from the program’s launch in 2017.

Turning Credits Into Credentials

Thanks to the contributions of MDHS, C2C is able to reach former college students who left college without completing a degree. Each month, C2C uses traditional mail and e-mail, social media, and/or internet advertising to reach thousands of former students, reinforcing the importance of finishing a degree, and sharing the different options available for Mississippi adults to complete their degrees. Many of those reached would never have realized that these resources were available to help them return and graduate from college.

Amazingly, hundreds of these students who attended multiple institutions have discovered that by combining their earned credits they had enough credits to be awarded a degree, with no additional course work! Thanks to the work of their C2C coaches and the college academic advising teams even more students are discovering that they are closer than they ever thought to a degree.  

One student, Jennifer May, said this about her experience: “My C2C coach was able to walk me through the college enrollment process. She called me back [after reviewing my transcripts] and said, ‘You’re not going to believe it, you’re 8 hours away from your associate degree!’ It was very easy to get back in. I did it totally online and completed 2 courses…Now that I have this associate degree, I’m going to continue to get my bachelor’s degree. Thanks to C2C I have my degree and can take that next step in my career.” 

The Impact of Degrees

Each semester, hundreds of returning students like Jennifer enroll and benefit from C2C’s resources for returning adults, like tailored adult degree options, the C2C Grant, and the support provided by C2C Coaches. These coaches work within each of our state’s 24 colleges, providing guidance and encouragement to returning students from enrollment through the completion of their remaining college credits. As of September 2022, over 2,900 adults have returned and completed a degree from a Mississippi college with the help of C2C.

Students who earn degrees usually get better jobs which leads to a brighter future for them and their families. College credits can become credentials (degrees) which can be the key to better employment and self-sufficiency!

As the college graduation rate in Mississippi rises, incomes increase and the overall economy improves as well. As more adults earn degrees and valuable certificates, their earning capacity increases and the likelihood of unemployment decreases substantially. This, in turn, helps advance MDHS’s mission to “empower families so they can become self-sufficient and responsible for their future success.” (Source)

Options to Help Families & Communities Flourish

MDHS actively promotes college success through its partnership with C2C, but it is also at the forefront of providing wraparound services for families as they work toward self-sufficiency. Their wide range of services help children, youth, the disabled, seniors, and families throughout our communities. As just one example, through the Early Childhood Care & Development Services, MDHS offers childcare options on some college campuses around our state.

Here a few of the services that they provide:

• TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and the TANF Work Program:  TANF is commonly known as welfare, and the goal is to prepare families for financial independence by helping with job training. The TANF Work Program can be a vital link for families who want to move from surviving to thriving. To learn more about TANF and its work program, visit mdhs.ms.gov/economic-assistance/
• SNAP E&T (SNAP Employment & Training) – SNAP E&T can help SNAP participants gain workforce skills training and other career and technical training. If you know someone who benefits from SNAP, they can learn more about Skills2Work at mdhs.ms.gov/workforce-development/
• Early Childhood Care & Development Services: If you’re a college student with kids at home, studying can be a challenge! DECCD may have options to help you pay for childcare. Visit mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/ for more information.
• Family Caregiver Support Program: The Mississippi Family Caregiver Support Program provides services to caregivers of elderly or relative caring for a child or children. If you’re a caregiver, learn more about the options.
• Other Economic Assistance Options: These programs help Mississippians lead better lives, while promoting self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. Learn more here.

Investing in the Future of Mississippi Children & Families!

As you can see, the Mississippi’s Department of Human Services and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation are vital contributors to our community! We are all so thankful to them for the differences they are making in the lives of Mississippians. This support comes not only through their funding support for the Complete 2 Compete program but also through the impactful programs they make possible within our communities.

Here are just a few examples of the lives impacted by the C2C programs our partners have made possible:

Stephanie Long: “…I have already been blessed with a new career that will lead to financial freedom for me, my family, and generations to come… It is never too late to finish.”

Shasta Porter graduated with her degree and is now working in education to impact not only her own son but many other children too! Shasta is excited to be financially independent and is breaking the cycle of poverty that her family experienced during her teen years.

Leah Maxey: “I was able to obtain my degree now and my daughter saw me do it. I want her to know that at any point in her life it’s ok to take other paths. It’s ok to overcome obstacles and continue your education to get your degree no matter life’s twists and turns.”

Kierre Rimmer: “It felt great to hear my wife say she’s proud of me, and the smile on my kids’ faces was priceless.”

Ms. Sammons from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation also shared the reward she experiences seeing the impact of helping people finish meaningful education: “There have been so many people, especially single moms, who didn’t think they could return to school. They had young kids and were trying to juggle the scheduling. But then they were able to get trained and complete their degree or credential…when they finally graduate and get that job that they’ve wanted their lives change, and they talk about dignity. As a parent they feel like they could really do this and make a difference and give back to their children. They want so badly to be a good role model and change the trajectory of generations. It is just phenomenal to see that happen.”

Clearly, the economic impact from a degree is just ONE of the benefits to families!

Thanks to these funding partners, C2C can continue to work to eliminate the barriers that prevent adults from returning to complete their degrees so they in turn can improve the outlook for future generations of Mississippians. The impact on their family is the #1 reason that C2C graduates give for their decision to return to school. C2C graduates have said time and time again how having a degree gives them both the credentials and the confidence to improve their futures – but most importantly their family’s futures too!

What about you?

If you would like to learn more about how the C2C programs can make returning to college possible and how to qualify to receive a renewable $1,000 grant for college expenses, please complete the simple C2C application. C2C participants also receive personalized coaching to help navigate the challenges of going back to college, and can access special degree programs to help students complete their degrees more efficiently. Complete the easy application now to see if C2C can help you too!

Resources for You

To learn more about the MDHS and the WKKF programs and resources mentioned in this article we have provided a listing of each featured program along with links to additional information.

For Individuals and Families

• MIBEST (Mississippi Integrated Basic Education & Skills Training) – MIBEST helps Mississippians gain the credentials they need to secure jobs with a higher livable wage. It’s directed at people who may not even have a high school diploma or who are in low-wage jobs. MIBEST benefits students by providing them with many services and resources that can help them earn valuable training and job credentials while they also achieve high school equivalency. If you know of someone who could benefit from MIBEST, please visit this link.
• SkillUp Mississippi – Through various programs such as Smart Start and High School Equivalency (HSE), Skill UP Mississippi helps people launch careers, strengthens the state workforce, and creates an opportunity foreconomic development. Learn more here.
• TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and the TANF Work Program:  To learn more about TANF and its work program, visit mdhs.ms.gov/economic-assistance/
• SNAP E&T (SNAP Employment & Training) –If you know someone who benefits from SNAP, they can learn more about career and technical training at mdhs.ms.gov/workforce-development/
• Early Childhood Care & Development Services: DECCD may have options to help you pay for childcare. Visit mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/ for more information.
• Family Caregiver Support Program: The Mississippi Family Caregiver Support Program provides services to caregivers of elderly or relative caring for a child or children. If you’re a caregiver, learn more about the options.
• Other Economic Assistance Options: These programs help Mississippians lead better lives, while promoting self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. Learn more here.
• WAVES program at Pearl River Community College: If you know someone who is near PRCC, they may be able to benefit from the childcare options provided by the WAVES program. Visit the site for information. 

For Community Organizations

• Mississippi Women’s Fund – If you know of an organization that helps MS women thrive, you can learn more about grant options at WomensFoundationMS.org.
• Family-Centered Coaching: This program equips staff with the “mindset, tools, and skills to work with families holistically towards financial wellness.” This method is designed especially to help human service organizations positive steward change in their communities, bringing a lens of equity, self-empowerment, and strength-based coaching. If you’re interested in locating services in Mississippi or learning more about learning this coaching method, visit FamilyCenteredCoaching.org/fccmap/.
• MNCI – Mississippi National Certification initiative: This initiative promotes the availability of standardized certification programs so that more people can get important training and credentials which can lead to quality job opportunities. Learn more at mccb.edu/assessment.

Learn more about other MDHS Services at mdhs.ms.gov/services/

Learn more about the W.K. Kellogg Foundation at wkkf.org.