The Mississippi State University (MSU) Early Childhood Institute administers Excel by 5, a community certification program begun in 2005. The program recognizes communities that make various efforts to improve local services to young children and their families, with the goal of promoting learning skills and physical and social-emotional development of children before they enter kindergarten.

Excel by 5 assists communities in creating programs and policies to support the growth and learning of young children, emphasizing the important role parents play in teaching their children. The goal is to insure that children enter kindergarten with the skills they need to be successful in school and in life. The project also involves community agencies and individuals in various ways.

Petal, Mississippi, was the first community to receive certification as an Excel by 5 community.

The communities of Biloxi, Cleveland, Moss Point,  Pascagoula, and West Point, Monroe County, and the Midtown area of Jackson, Mississippi, also participated in the program during Fiscal Year 2008.

Annjo Lemons, B.A., directs Excel by 5. Bob Clay, B.S., is the sites coordinator.