Jackson families reach Mississippi's Part C program, First Steps, through the state health department's central intake line, work through Jackson Public School District's Child Find duty for evaluations, and can turn to Hinds Behavioral Health Services — the regional community mental health center serving Hinds County — for longer-term developmental disability supports.

This page lays out those routes with the phone numbers and pages behind each one, plus the Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center, headquartered right here in Jackson, for families who want independent help understanding their rights.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Mississippi page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Jackson (Hinds County).

Early intervention under 3: Mississippi First Steps Early Intervention Program — Hinds County

Mississippi runs Part C early intervention as First Steps, administered statewide by the Mississippi State Department of Health through nine Local Early Intervention Programs grouped into three regions, with the day-to-day work happening through county health departments. A parent or physician can call the intake line directly or submit a referral form; the department shares it with the Local Early Intervention Program covering the family's county, and a service coordinator generally reaches out within about two days. A diagnosis in hand isn't necessary to open a case — a documented concern about a child's development is enough.

• Mississippi First Steps Early Intervention Program — Hinds County
• Referral phone: (601) 576-7427

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Mississippi school districts share a federal Child Find duty to locate, identify, and evaluate every child from birth through 21 who may need special education, at no cost to families. In Jackson, that duty sits with Jackson Public School District's Exceptional Education Services department, which accepts referrals from parents, physicians, or preschool teachers and coordinates a multidisciplinary evaluation with a written summary shared with the family before any placement decision.

• Jackson Public School District — Exceptional Education Services runs Child Find for children birth through 21, including children not yet enrolled at a JPS school
• Madison County School District — serves Ridgeland, Madison, Flora, and the part of Jackson that lies in Madison County; Special Services covers ages 3-21

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Jackson

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Jackson. That is a gap in our research, not a sign there is nothing here — and it does not stand between you and an evaluation. The school district evaluation above is free, and early intervention under 3 does not need a private diagnosis first.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Mississippi Department of Mental Health — Bureau of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, via Hinds Behavioral Health Services

Mississippi's Department of Mental Health sets policy for intellectual and developmental disability services statewide, but in most counties the actual front door is a regional community mental health center. For Hinds County that's Hinds Behavioral Health Services, which has served the area for more than 45 years and can connect a family to diagnostic, case management, and waiver-related services, including Mississippi's ID/DD Waiver for children whose needs would otherwise require an intermediate care facility level of care.

• Mississippi Department of Mental Health — Bureau of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, via Hinds Behavioral Health Services
• Phone: (601) 321-2400

Local organizations that help Jackson families

• Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center (MSPTI) — 601-969-0601 or 800-721-7255; a project of the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities, based in Jackson, serving families of children with disabilities from birth to 26

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Jackson Public School District's Exceptional Education Services team has 14 school days after a written request to meet and decide whether to evaluate, then, after testing, another 14 days to hold an eligibility meeting, with families entitled to see the written report at least 7 days beforehand. (source)
• Once a Hinds County referral reaches the Local Early Intervention Program, First Steps has 45 days to finish the evaluation, the family assessment, and the first IFSP meeting. (source)
• The state's 2024 Autism Advisory Committee report put roughly 680 people with an ASD diagnosis on the ID/DD Waiver's statewide waiting list, out of about 2,588 total, and described the typical wait as approaching nine years. (source)