Across Mississippi, child care providers face a challenge that is both familiar and acute: staffing shortages that make it difficult to keep classrooms open and families consistently served. In a largely rural state, even short-term absences can force providers to reduce capacity or close temporarily, creating ripple effects for parents, employers, and local economies.
To address this challenge, the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), starting in August 2023, partnered with Wonderschool to launch a statewide Substitute Teaching Pool (SubPool) — an initiative designed to help child care programs quickly access qualified substitute educators while creating new, flexible pathways into the early childhood workforce.
The results have been significant, both for providers trying to stay open and for families who depend on reliable care. It also became the country’s largest SubPool primarily designed for centers, and a model for national replication.
By early 2023, staffing shortages were affecting child care programs across the country, with more than half reporting difficulty filling positions. In Mississippi, the impact was compounded by geography. More than half the state’s population lives in rural areas; in those counties, finding short-term coverage can be especially difficult for child care providers.
Without substitutes, programs often had no choice but to combine classrooms, turn families away, or shut their doors for the day. These disruptions strained providers and created uncertainty for parents who rely on child care in order to work.
MDHS recognized that solving the staffing problem required more than temporary fixes. The state needed a system that could work at scale—one that supported providers in every county while also strengthening the child care workforce itself.
Wonderschool worked with MDHS to design a Substitute Teaching Pool that connects child care providers with approved substitutes through a centralized, easy-to-use platform. Wonderschool launched the SubPool on October 31, 2023 – only two months after the partnership began, and just in time for flu season, when any provider knows increased staff absences are more likely.
Providers can post shifts as needs arise, and substitutes can accept work that fits their availability and their willingness to travel. All substitutes are 100% compliant with the state’s background check and training requirements. Providers and substitutes can communicate with one another via the platform and can leave reviews. Advanced algorithmic filtering and scoring recognizes substitutes that are the most reliable.
From the beginning, accessibility was a priority. The goal was not simply to serve high-density areas, but to ensure that providers in rural regions had the same access to substitute support as those in larger cities.
The department’s initial request was to focus on 10 counties – Jefferson, Hinds, Wilkinson, Washington, Humphreys, Noxubee, Coahoma, Claiborne, Issaquena, Forrest, Warren, Clay, Lee, Madison, and Benton – but ultimately the goal was to make it statewide, reaching communities from the Delta to the Gulf Coast.
From October 31, 2023 to July 31, 2024, more than 7,000 people applied to substitute, and almost 300 fully-screening and trained substitutes were onboarded to the platform. Those substitutes, when surveyed, gave their experience a 92 Net Promoter Score.
Providers posted more than 4,000 substitute jobs through the platform. Seventy-seven percent of those jobs were successfully matched, resulting in more than 19,000 hours of substitute care delivered statewide.
Geographic coverage was 100% across the state. This level of coverage made a tangible difference. Programs were able to stay open on days that might otherwise have required closures, classrooms remained staffed, and families experienced fewer disruptions to their child care arrangements.
As Dr. Chad Allgood, MDHS Director, Division of Early Childhood Care & Development, said, "We've put in place several different programs to offer those additional supports, which include the substitute pool program that Wonderschool provides. We made a very good decision."
During its second year of operation funded by MDHS, the SubPool expanded considerably. The number of applicants almost doubled to 13,500. The number of jobs posted almost tripled, to over 15,000, while maintaining a 77% match rate. By the end of the second year, almost 76,000 hours had been worked across the state, all the while maintaining 100% geographic coverage.
The broader economic impact has also been meaningful. By helping parents remain in the workforce and enabling providers to maintain operations, the Substitute Teaching Pool is estimated to generate approximately $26 million in economic impact annually for Mississippi.
For many providers, the Substitute Teaching Pool has eased one of the most stressful parts of running a child care program.
One director shared that posting a job and quickly receiving applicants has “eliminated a major level of stress,” while another described the pool as a critical resource during a prolonged staff medical leave.
Substitutes, too, have found value in the program. Several described the flexibility to choose schedules that work for them, along with the opportunity to build experience in early childhood education. As one substitute described it, “The SubPool allows me the flexibility to work a schedule that suits me best. My first experience was nothing short of amazing. I’m a proud substitute teacher and so glad to have the opportunity to teach!”
Beyond addressing immediate staffing gaps, the Substitute Teaching Pool has helped create new entry points into Mississippi’s child care workforce. Substitutes earn above-minimum wages, gain hands-on classroom experience, and build relationships with providers across the state. Many go on to pursue full-time teaching or leadership roles, contributing to a more stable and experienced workforce over time.
For example, Mistin M. worked 500+ hours as a substitute, became Director-qualified, and subsequently opened her own in-home child care program. Onyay F. worked 650+ hours as a substitute, got hired to work full-time by Panthers Den Learning Center in Hattiesburg, and is now the admin for hiring substitutes at that same center where she once subbed.
For providers, reliable access to substitutes reduces burnout and supports long-term sustainability. For families, it means greater consistency and confidence that care will be available when they need it.
Today, Wonderschool continues to operate Mississippi’s Substitute Teaching Pool across the state. The SubPool demonstrates how targeted workforce infrastructure can strengthen child care systems at scale. By pairing technology with state leadership and provider support, MDHS and Wonderschool created a solution that meets immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term stability.
As states across the country look for ways to address staffing shortages and expand access to child care, Mississippi’s experience shows what’s possible when workforce support is treated as essential infrastructure—not an afterthought.
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