AMORY, Miss. (WTVA) – A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked a new place for children to play and learn.

The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) held a ribbon-cutting in Amory for the new Monroe County Mississippi Lift Resource and Referral Center.

The Mississippi Lift Resource and Referral Center provides resources that support care and learning for young children.

The center operates as a lending library.

Parents, teachers and child care providers can check out age-appropriate toys, books and other learning materials for two weeks.

The center also includes a maker space with access to laminators, die-cuts and printing tools for creating learning aids.

The center is also a resource for parents to find licensed, quality local child care providers.

There are currently 54 centers, including four mobile units, in the state.

Dr. Pearl Bailey, director of leadership development for MDHS, said the center gives families and educators a chance to use its resources.

“So they have an opportunity to experience the learning,” Bailey said. “The children can come in and play; they can work on their gross motor skills, their small motor skills; the grandparents can come, educators can come and take advantage of the make-and-take space. They can also come and check out materials for their classrooms.”

Bob Anderson, executive director of MDHS, said the centers are part of a larger learning continuum for children.

“We are trying to make these resource and referral centers a part of the learning continuum for children,” Anderson said. “Learning begins at birth. A child begins to learn at just a few days old, and their brain size doubles in the first year. And we’ve got to fill it up with good stuff, and that’s what these R&R centers are about. About bringing children to a place where they can learn.”

Several Mississippi Lift centers are located in the area, including Tupelo and New Albany.

Learn more about them at mdhs.ms.gov.