Policy Brief:

Early Childhood Education What is Early Childhood Education?

Early childhood education supports the healthy development and education of children from birth to age five. A healthy environment and interactive support during these early years are the most influential in the development of a childs brain. High-quality parent education and early childhood education programs should promote the whole child, paying equal attention to his or her cognitive (academic), social, and emotional development.

Harvard Universitys Center on the Developing Child finds thati:

Effective programs employ highly skilled staff Maintain small class sizes and high adult-to-child ratios Utilize a language-rich environment Provide age-appropriate curricula and stimulating materials Provide a safe physical setting for children Nurture positive and warm staff-to-child interactions and relationships Experience high and consistent levels of child participation

Early Childhood Education Daycare Pre-K Head Start LA-4 School Based Services

Louisiana Progress firmly believes that investments in high-quality early learning programs for children from birth to age five yield high returns. In fact, research shows that for every dollar invested today, Louisiana may save as much as $17 in the years ahead.ii

5 Reasons to Invest in Early Childhood Education

Every child deserves the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. Research has shown that
investing in high-quality early childhood education is one of the best ways to ensure that children are able to achieve better outcomes later in life. 1. The first five years are the most critical in the development of a childs brain. 2. Achievement gaps develop well before children begin kindergarten. 3. High-quality preK programs for three- and four-year-olds can have a significant impact on all children, but especially those from low-income families. 4. Meaningful investments in quality early learning programs for younger children have lasting effects that can reduce costs later in life while enhancing economic growth. 5. A high-quality early childhood education can help break the cycle of poverty. th

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Parental Education
Promoting positive parenting is the most important factor to improve the quality of childrens lives. Unfortunately, many parents are ill equipped for the responsibility to be successful
parents to care for, nurture and educate their children. No standards for parenting education Anyone can claim to be a parent educator without any training or qualifications No evidence-based parenting programs available for all parents

In many cases, providing parents the tools to solve a single problem may be all that is needed. In other cases, very dysfunctional families need extensive parenting services but they need to be quality services.

Access to Affordable Child Care

Affording basic child care can be a hindrance for a working family. With the federal poverty level
at $22,050 for a family of four, basic child care becomes a major expense. In Louisiana the average cost of Quality Rated child care for two children is $10,150 annuallyiii.

$22,050
Poverty Level for a Family of 4

$10,150
Cost of Quality Child Care for 2

$11,900
Left Over Yearly Income Pathways to Prosperityiv
Lack of access to affordable quality child care is the biggest barrier for families seeking self-sufficiency. Lack of Childcare leading to employee absences costs U.S. employers $3 billion a year. Early Learning is part of our economic infrastructure.
*United Way

Unfortunately, there are too few children in Quality Rated child care centers and too many in other out of home care like family day care that is completely unregulated. Far too many children are in out of home
placements with neighbors and relatives and family child care that are placed in front of a TV all day and have no organized curriculum. Many of these children enter school already developmentally and academically delayed.

Child Care and Poverty

In Louisiana, there are 253,822 families, with 377,351 young children under age 5. Of those 377,351 young children, 108,693(29%) live in poverty.

30% (55,095) of young children, under age 3, live in poor families. 28% (53,598) of young children, ages 3 through 5, live in poor families.

Early Childhood Education Services for Low Income Families 108,693: Under the age of 5 who are Eligible 32%: Children Enrolled in Early Childhood Education 34,474: Early Childhood Education Eligible Positions

74,219 Children Not Receiving Educational Services BrightStart-Successful Collaboration Leads Change
In 2004, with the support of the Federal government, BrightStart completed a Needs Assessment of early childhood services in Louisiana, followed by an extensive strategic planning process. Through the participation and input from public and private stakeholders,
BrightStart developed a Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the Childrens Cabinet in the summer of 2005. Since the implementation of the Strategic Plan, BrightStart has been able to accomplish various gains for early childhood education.

Accomplishments:
Implementation of the Quality Start program, a quality rating system for child care centers. The creation of the School Readiness Tax Credits, a first in the country. The development of a statewide network for parenting education known as LAPEN (Louisiana Parenting Education Network). The establishment of an Early Childhood Systems Integration Budget. The development of a statewide Mental Health Consultation Program for child care centers.

Child Care Resources, (CCR) works to expand the availability of quality affordable child care for young
children and families. CCR offers: Assistance for families looking for child care
Training for child care personnel Parent education Tools to increase public awareness of the importance and ingredients of affordable, quality child care

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps low-income families pay for child care while working or attending school or training. CCAP allows parents to select any Quality Rated child care
center, school-based before and after school program, licensed child care center, registered Family Child Day Care Home, or In-Home provider active in the CCAP provider directory. This program is operated by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Conditions of Eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program:

Number of hours the parents work/train/education Amount charged by the child care provider Family size Household income

Eligible Household Monthly Income

$2490 $2989 $3559 $4128

However, with the current budget crisis, programs have begun to be cut back. In Louisiana, many alternatives were considered such as implementing a waiting list for services, a provider rate reduction, or requiring an increase in copayments from families. Louisiana is not alone; many other states have faced similar budget situations.

Cuts in Services
Since the beginning of the current recession many states have begun restricting access to child care assistance programs on top of making other cuts to their programs. In the last fiscal
year, the federal stimulus funds (ARRA funds) helped most states maintain child care assistance policies, but most states have reported that they will no longer be able to hold off cuts once those funds expire.

38 States
Increased their income eligibility limits

19 States
Began wait lists or froze intake

Louisianas Response-Reduce Access to Services Department of Children and Family Services Changes
Requirements per Week for work/training/education Maximum Income Limits

25 hours to 30 hours 75% to 65% of State Median Income

3846
Cut Due to Hours

369
Cut Due To Income

DCFS is aware that all child care centers, family child day care homes, in home providers, and schools that participate in CCAP will be impacted, but cannot estimate the level of that impact since each participating provider chooses its level of participation in the program. Unfortunately budget restrictions require choices be made in an effort to serve as many families as possible with the little funds that are available.

Making Progress
Since 2000, there have been many gains in early childhood education across Louisiana.
Between 2000 and 2009, the number of pre-kindergarteners and preschoolers attending public schools rose by 62%, from 21,290 students in 2000 to 34,474 students in 2009v. Louisiana currently operates a variety of publicly funded prekindergarten programs, including the Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development program, the Cecil J. Picard LA4 Early Childhood Program, and the 8(g) block grant program. Local school systems also use local funds, Head Start, Title I and other sources of revenue to provide prekindergarten programs in public schools. Also, in 2008, the state mandated voluntary preschool access for all 4year-olds regardless of income by the 2013-2014 program year. Many public, private and nonprofit groups have begun to recognize the importance of early childhood education to establish a comprehensive, coordinated early childhood system.

The Economic Case for Investing in Young Children

Well-focused investments in early childhood development yield high public returns. Taxpayers benefit through reduced need for social assistance, increased income tax revenue, less burden on criminal justice system and fewer children needing remedial education services. Furthermore, children who are school ready by age five are more likely to productive in the workplace, a key economic growth. - Rob Grunewald Associate Economist, Federal Reserve Bank

Louisiana Progress Recommendations:

Pay Now or Pay Later:
Our policymakers and candidates for office need to make informed data driven decisions to move Louisiana forward.
Investing in quality, affordable and accessible early childhood education will yield positive benefits for children, parents, employers, and the future of Louisiana. By promoting coordination across state agencies and working with local providers, we can ensure all Louisiana children are ready to learn.

Public Spending vs. Brain Development

Public Spending*

Source: The RAND Corporation

Expand Quality, Affordable Services

Expand the number of high-quality programs to serve childrens development and learning, including state-funded preK delivered in a variety of settings such as schools, child care centers, and Head Start agencies, with public funding targeted to low-income children first. Increase the availability of high-quality, full-day, and/or year-round programs that support working parents where needed. Hire qualified and effective early childhood educators at a living wage who have the knowledge and skills necessary to teach young children.

Promote Coordination and Service Integration

Develop mixed provider delivery systems that support parental choice and take advantage of public, private, and nonprofit providers. Integrate early learning and care systems for children from birth to age five. Make best use of existing resources by coordinating local, state, and federal efforts. Develop seamless transitions from the early childhood education system to the K12 system to create a continuum of lifelong learning. Collect data and conduct the research needed to identify best practices, assess system performance, and report these results to the general public.

More to Know
This Policy Brief does not address the issues of child abuse and neglect, but with increasing financial stress on families, instances of child abuse and neglect increase. The need for quality
child care increases in situations where there is parental stress and family dysfunction to provide a supportive and caring structure for children and parents. Emotional development of young children is very important. Early Childhood Supports and Services is a good example of a very successful program that needs to be brought to scale to insure the safety of children, the identification of special service needs and the protection of children to insure their successful development. Other services for children are available through the Department of Education, Department of Children and Family Services, and the Department of Health and Hospitals.

For More Info

BrightStart Department of Children and Family Services Harvard University Center on the Developing Child Picard Center at UL Lafayette RAND Child Policy Center

About Louisiana Progress

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Harvard University Center on the Developing Child, Science of Early Childhood July 10, 2011 http://developingchild.harvard.edu/topics/science_of_early_childhood/ ii The Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank ,THE ECONOMICS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS FOR ECONOMIC POLICY July 11, 2011 http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/studies/earlychild/2003conf/rapson.pdf iii National Center for Children in Poverty, Improving Supports for Parents of Young Children July 9, 2011 http://nccp.org/publications/pub_966.html iv United Way, The Case for Early Childhood Education." v The Cecil J. Picard LA-4 Early Childhood Program