This report by the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) finds that high-quality pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) is the "first, essential step towards building the educated workforce that will enable a better economic future for Mississippi." The report calls on Mississippi leaders to establish a blue-ribbon, bipartisan commission to develop a plan of action to launch a statewide Pre-K program. The SEF report reviews how Mississippi remains the only state in the South without a state-supported Pre-K program and finds that Mississippi's current problems with a growing jobless rate underscore the consequences of past failures to move forward with long-term plans for Pre-K. It also includes the results of recent commissioned studies showing that the state could receive economic benefits and savings by investing in high-quality Pre-K. SEF's report concludes that Mississippi will remain a poor state without enough education, jobs, or income if it does not undertake every effort to invest in high-quality Pre-K.