Chriscella L. Clay is Mississippi State Department of Health’s Child Care Licensure Division Director. Chriscella was born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi, but has lived in the Jackson Metropolitan area for over 17 years. She has a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction with a minor in Early Childhood Education, Bachelor’s degree in Child Development, and an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education.
Chriscella has extensive experience working with communities, organizations, and individuals to promote early childhood education, child development, and health. For two years, she served as certification manager for an EXCEL by 5 community in the Mid-Jackson area, which focused on community involvement, family and parent support, early care and education, and health and safety. Chriscella is a member of health focused organizations such as Tobacco Free Coalition, and the Help Me Grow Leadership team in Mississippi. Chriscella’s background has always been centered around helping others by promoting awareness and sharing knowledge and resources to foster change.
After starting her new position within the Child Care Licensure Division of Mississippi State Department of Health, Chriscella recognized she could continue her passion to help children, families, and communities on bigger scale throughout Mississippi.
It is Chriscella’s belief that the most effective community improvement strategies include simultaneously investing in individual families and the community systems that support them because the success of both as a whole are inextricably linked. It is her hope to gain more knowledge, strategies, and long-lasting professional relationships that will help her to become a better leader, innovator, and advocate as she continues on her journey to help bring more focus to best practices in early childhood education and health practices in child care facilities/programs, communities, schools, and homes–for they all are connected.