An advocate for early child care, Jamila Taylor is a passionate and visionary leader who has dedicated her career to nurturing the minds of our youngest generation.
Taylor has always been driven to help others. With a bachelor’s in nursing and a master’s in business administration, she has cultivated her skills to make an impactful change for early child care programs throughout the state.
Stepping away from her career in nursing, Taylor moved with her husband to his home state of Mississippi to help build their family's nonprofit, the Brickfire Project. Her work helped coordinate and implement child care training for employees, secure grant funding for health and nutrition programs, and develop partnerships with health care and outreach agencies. She found the niche she would build her career upon and began working for Mississippi State in 2012.
With the Early Years Network in MSU Extension, Taylor helped develop the business aspect of supporting early child care providers across the state. By developing business plans, implementing training and coordinating budgets, she helped providers turn their passion for child care into a supporting business.
“Child care providers often stay in the red, but by helping them understand the business aspect, we help them grow their business, so that it is sustainable,” she said, explaining that most of them work in child care because they love it, not for financial benefit.
Taylor currently serves as the director of the MSU Extension Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Harrison County and associate executive director of the Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, or MSCCR&R, and Nurturing Homes Initiative, or NHI.
Her remarkable ability to connect with children and offer guidance as a leader has been invaluable in building these programs.
Leading the Head Start program in Harrison County since funding was secured in 2019, Taylor has been an influence for children, families and staff. She said her role is fulfilling every day and “by making an impact on one life, I feel I have been able to change many as we see the children grow and thrive in their community.”
A large impact Head Start has in the county is providing parents with resources that better equip them and their families for an equitable future.
Her leadership extends to the MSCCR&R and NHI programs in her dedication of fostering growth for children.
Taylor is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in educational leadership with a focus in higher education. She said, “continually making yourself better helps those around you grow.”