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Early Childhood
WE PROMISE to support high-quality early childhood education and care, which children need to enter school ready to learn.
Early Childhood Policy Statements
1. Create a single, comprehensive system of quality child care which:
a. includes consumer friendly rating scale
b. provides universal accessibility
2. Ensure appropriate early childhood programs, including education, health, and other services (i.e. Head Start and Pre-K).
Early Childhood White Paper - Download PDF
Letter to request expansion of LA4, the crucial prekindergarten program implemented in 2001 using TANF funds - Download PDF
The Case for Early Childhood Development
Who cares for Louisiana's Youngest Children?
According to the 2000 Census…
- Over 23% of Louisiana's children live in poverty - that's 40% over the national average!
- For African-American children under 5 years of age, that rate reaches an overwhelming 60%.
- Over 30% of the state's at-risk children ARE NOT enrolled in an early childhood education program.
- Louisiana's infant mortality for 2002 was 10.2 (number of deaths under one year of age/1000 live births) - 46th in the nation.
Invest in Children, Invest in the future!!!
- Quality Early Care and Education is Good Economics. One study estimates the savings from one youth being involved in a life of crime to be between $1.3 and $1.5 million dollars - that's far more than the cost of quality early care!
- Child care jobs are part of a healthy, productive, thriving economy. For EVERY 1 child care job, 1.27 to 1.8 jobs are created in the local economy.
- Studies indicate that a $1 investment in child care returns $2 to the economy AND that for $1 invested in high quality preschool programs, $7 in costs for remedial education and corrections system expenses are saved.
Now is the time to...
Join with YouWho to make children and their future a priority in Louisiana
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