NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children in partnership with BUILD Initiative has released a report titled “Promoting Early Intervention in Louisiana: Recommendations for Increasing Enrollment in EarlySteps.” EarlySteps is Louisiana’s statewide program that provides early intervention services to support infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities and their families.
According to the report, the Louisiana Early Steps program is enrolling fewer young children in the program than could benefit from it. Louisiana is currently 31st in the country in enrollment of children under three years old and 20th in the nation in enrollment of children under the age of one.
The report was created with support from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, which runs the program.
“The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children is extremely grateful to have collaborated on the report,” said Libbie Sonnier, executive director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. “We remain strong in our commitment to providing the essential data and research to the state’s policymakers and stakeholders for informed decisions and policy-making in order to ensure a successful Louisiana starts with successful children. Our partnership with The BUILD Initiative and the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities will allow us to focus on infants and toddlers in our state with developmental disabilities to take the necessary steps to increase enrollment and awareness of the critical services the EarlySteps program provides.”
Louisiana is working to strengthen its prenatal-to-three system. As part of this work and with the support from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, the Louisiana Policy Institute leads a public-private coalition to strengthen service quality and accessibility in early care and education, health, and well-being. Drawing upon data, best practices, and engagement of EarlySteps families and partners, this report provides concrete, practical recommendations to help improve enrollment in this vital program.
“Build is honored to have been able to support the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children and the Louisiana Department of Health’s examination of EarlySteps to identify possible strategies to bolster participation rates benefiting larger numbers of infants and toddlers with disabilities” said Susan Hubbard, executive director of The BUILD Initiative.
To view the report, please visit EarlySteps Louisiana.
