- February 2023
Region II Area Coordinator
MS Child Care Resources & Referral, MSU Extension
Time in Position: 2 months
Years at MSU: 3
Carolyn Harris recently started her new position with Mississippi Child Care Resources and Referral, but her professional experience has been built around a longstanding love for families, community, and education.
“Early childhood development plays a crucial role in long-term success,” said Harris. “Learning foundational skills that they can build upon throughout their lives is so important.”
As the Region II Area Coordinator, Harris works with five resource and referral sites located in North Mississippi, ensuring the day-to-day activities at each site flow smoothly. Mississippi Child Care Resource & Referral is part of Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and provides early childhood resources, referrals to services, family engagement activities, and coordination of training and technical assistance efforts by a network of early childhood specialists.
“I love seeing parents and early childhood providers super excited to walk into their local R&R and look in awe at the resources that are absolutely free of charge to use,” said Harris.
After graduating from Mississippi State with a degree in Early Childhood Education from the School of Human Sciences, Harris started her career as a teacher at the West Point ICS Head Start Center, where she later served as director. In 2014, she worked as an early childhood classroom assessor through Extension and was excited to return to MSU in December 2022 for her current role.
“The career opportunities are endless in this field, and the work is very rewarding!”
A native of West Point, Harris enjoys exploring small towns off the beaten path, particularly in her home state, as well as Colorado and Tennessee.
