Our grantee in Louisiana, the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC), is a source of nonpartisan and independent information on issues concerning children birth through four. A Louisiana coalition of advocates, early childhood providers, and parents are working on Geaux Far Louisiana, an initiative to create an equitable, unified early childhood system centering racial equity and ensuring families access to seamless, high-quality early child development, health, and educational services in Louisiana.
State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s policy environment and the numerous efforts — by those listed on this page and many others — who worked both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.
Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.
Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining
Approximately 49% (252,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (2021). This number represents a decrease from 51% (275,000) in 2016.1
Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High
Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.2
State General Fund Appropriations: Growing
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed the state’s fiscal 2024 budget bill on June 29 after making a series of line-item vetoes. The fiscal 2024 all funds budget totals $50.97 billion, a 0.46 percent increase from fiscal 2023. General fund expenditures for fiscal 2024 total $11.79 billion, a 4.6 percent increase from fiscal 2023. General fund revenues are projected to be $11.92 billion for fiscal 2024, a 2.95 percent decrease from fiscal 2023 .3
Largest Per Capita Revenue Sources (after federal transfers) (FY 2021):4
Charges are public payments connected with a specific government service, such as tuition paid to a state university, payments to a public hospital, or highway tolls. Louisiana uses all major state and local taxes.
Permanent State Funding Stream Dedicated to Early Childhood: Yes
Political Alignment: Divided
During the 2023 session, the state’s Senate and House were both Republican controlled. The state’s Governor was a Democrat.5
Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:6 One
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:
Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:7
A Louisiana coalition of advocates is working with Child Care NEXT funding on a sustained effort to pursue bold transformation for the state’s child-care ecosystem.
Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:8
$44 million for Early Care and Education in the State Budget – The Legislature passed the state budget (HB 1), which includes $44 million in new funding for early care and education. This is the largest investment of state dollars into the Child Care Assistance Program in over a decade. As part of the Ready Louisiana Coalition, members sent 844 emails to legislators in support of funding early care and education in HB 1.
Early Childhood Care and Education Commission & Early Care and Education – The Legislature passed HB 338, which modifies the duties of the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission and requires it to look at a formula to fund early care and education, much like the state funding formula for K-12 education.
Improving Data Systems at the Louisiana Department of Education – The Legislature passed HCR 43, which urges and requests the Louisiana Department of Education to update its early care and education data management systems as soon as possible.
Creating Accessibility During Public Meetings – The Legislature passed SB 201, which utilizes technology when conducting public meetings, especially for those who find it difficult to attend in-person but whose experiences would improve the process.
Early Learning Development Standards Approved – Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education recently approved revisions to the Early Learning and Development Standards. These standards, which have been reviewed for the last two years by a Department of Education-convened panel of experts, have been the target of certain parental groups who misunderstand the concept of “social emotional learning.” The approved standards are going through the administrative rulemaking process. The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children continues to monitor the situation.
The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children and partners also have begun studying compensation within the child care sector and how low wages impact the sustainability of child care. The Early Child Care and Education Commission has incorporated LPIC’s recommendation in its annual report.
The Alliance’s lead grantee in Louisiana, Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:
Child Care
Child Care Workforce
Preschool and Pre-K
Early Intervention (0-3)
Home Visiting
Maternal Health
Paid Family and Medical Leave
Data Systems
Early Childhood Finance and Cost Modeling
Early Childhood Governance
Click here for more information on advocates’ policy agenda.
Alliance allies at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) mounted a successful campaign to protect social-emotional learning (SEL) standards in early education and K-12 schools after the Louisiana’s state school board proposed to remove them from the state’s early learning development standards.
NOTES:
1 Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, November, 2022
2 National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, March 2023, NCCP analysis of ACS 1-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2021
3 National Association of State Budget Officers, Summaries of Fiscal Year 2024 Enacted Budgets, October 11, 2023.
4 Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, July 2023
5 National Conference of State Legislatures, 2023 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, February 28, 2023.
6 Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved May, 2023.
7 Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, April, 2022.
8 Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-August, 2023.
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The Alliance for Early Success does not endorse or advocate for specific legislation or candidates.
