NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana Early Education Month kicked off this week, serving as a platform to highlight critical issues in early childhood education affecting children and families across the state. The event is co-hosted by the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, the Louisiana Early Childhood Business Roundtable, the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry, and the United Way of Southeast Louisiana.
Early care and education are critical to Louisiana’s success. Research shows that 90% of brain development occurs before age four, making high-quality early childhood programs essential for setting a strong foundation for learning and success. However, access remains limited, with many families struggling to afford or find reliable childcare. These barriers impact parents’ ability to work and contribute to a labor shortage costing Louisiana employers $762 million annually.
Investments in early childhood education (ECE) have been shown to significantly impact the health of the local economy. A review by the RAND Corporation found that effective early childhood programs increase people’s lifetime earnings and decrease future costs in areas like remedial education and public assistance.
ECE lays the foundation for essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. These competencies are crucial for success in the modern workforce, ensuring a pipeline of capable individuals ready to meet future labor market demands. The Upjohn Institute notes that well-run early childhood programs build skills that eventually lead to a higher-quality adult labor force, promoting local economic development.
Louisiana’s Academic Progress
Louisiana students have achieved some of the most significant academic progress in the nation, according to the Nation’s Report Card. Widely regarded as the gold standard of assessments, these latest results measure math and reading proficiency among 4th and 8th grade students. Louisiana’s students earned the state’s highest national rankings across both grade levels and subjects. Louisiana 4th graders led the country in reading growth for the second consecutive cycle, advancing from 50th in the country in 2019 to 16th in 2024.
The annual Louisiana Early Ed Month is held throughout February with a program of events aimed at highlighting the critical need for increased access to and investment in high-quality early care and education for the state’s youngest children, birth to age four.
Recent Early Education Initiatives
Over the past three years, Louisiana has implemented several initiatives to enhance early childhood education:
The Early Childhood Care and Education Network unifies Louisiana’s early childhood education programs, encompassing 65 local community networks that include publicly funded Pre-K, childcare, and Head Start programs.
The Early Childhood Education Fund was created to encourage local communities to generate and fundraise for early childhood care and education by providing a dollar-for-dollar state match for locally generated funds.
Early Ed Month 2025 is a vital opportunity to advocate for investments in early education, which strengthen the economy, support working families, and create brighter futures for children.
