Traditionally, when we thought of "family" we envisioned a father, mother and children. Today, the term "family" may include, but is not limited to, grandparents, single parents or adopted parents serving as primary caregiver. No matter the family composition, families are a child's first teacher in life. The social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of children is dependent unpon the family.

In almost every critical measure of child well-being, Mississippi's families rank last or near last. In Mississippi, more than 2 1/2 million people live in approximately 747,159 family units.

• The median income of families with children in Mississippi is $37,000, but 14 percent of children living in Mississippi are living in extreme poverty while 30 percent live in poverty.
• Affordable, quality childcare is an issue in Mississippi with 63.8 percent of women with children under the age of six being employed outside the home. Most children have either two working parents or one single working parent, leaving 37 percent of Mississippi children under the age of six in paid childcare.
• Mississippi ranks 50th in the nation in teen birth rate (ages 15-17).

According to AARP and the 2000 Census, more than 85,000 children under the age of 18 live in a grandparent-headed household. That is almost 11% of the 775,000 children under age 18 in Mississippi. This is the third highest rate in the nation.

According to Mississippi Department of Human Services, most recently, 17,270 child abuse reports were investigated, resulting in 2,532 evidenced child abuse cases. These cases included 1,233 neglect cases, 588 physical abuse cases and three abuse cases resulting in death (2001).