The Ready Louisiana Coalition Urges All Candidates in 2019 Elections to Increase Access to Quality Early Care and Education for Louisiana’s Youngest Citizens

The Jefferson Chamber joins other localbusinesses, advocacy organizations, education professionals, parents and citizens seeking investment in quality, affordable early care and education in the Greater New Orleans region.

METAIRIE, LA – ReadyLouisiana,a bipartisan, statewidecoalition that is made up of 61 organizations throughout the state, includingthe Jefferson Chamber, is urging all candidates to include a plank in theirplatforms to increase access to quality early care and education for Louisiana’sworking families, especially for children under age four.

According to Todd Murphy,President of the Jefferson Chamber, “A comprehensive approach to increasingaccess to early care and education is of up most importance for the JeffersonChamber as it enables families to be productive in the workforce and serve asan economic engine.”

Ready Louisiana seeks to educateall Louisiana qualifying candidates for Governor, Legislator and theLouisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) on its platform plank recommendations, which include thefollowing:

Substantially increase access to quality early care andeducation for Louisiana’s working families, especially for children under agefour. 

A comprehensive approach is required, including:  

• Support the Louisiana EarlyChildhood Care & Education Commission’s LAB to 3 plan, which includes an investment of $86 million in newfunding annually to increase access from 22,000 to 177,000 children underage four over the next decade.
• Furtherincrease infant and toddler child care reimbursement rates to reflect thetrue cost of quality care.
• Increase payfor early childhood educators in child care centers, who currently earn amedian wage of $8.95 an hour, through mechanism such as the SchoolReadiness Tax Credit for teachers.
• Reviewexisting dedicated funds and identify opportunities to redirect them toquality early care and education.
• Commit to early care andeducation as a top priority for any new or expanded revenue.

The future of Louisiana depends onhow willing the state is to care for and prepare its youngest citizens. 90percent of brain development takes place between birth and age four. More than3,000 families in Louisiana are currently on a waitlist for child careassistance. Ready Louisiana applauds the steps already taken by the Governorand the Legislature to invest in early care and education; however, thecoalition seeks to raise awareness surrounding the families who still needaccess to quality child care.

“Funding high quality early care and education isthe best possible way to put our state on a trajectory that changes the futureof Louisiana,” said Representative Walt Leger III.  “This is where we needto be investing.”

Senator Conrad Appel said,“Conservatives recognize that unless a child has the proper support andfundamental education they will have no reasonable expectation of success. Inthe waning days of this legislative session this new wave of conservativethought is revealed in the growing demand for funding for Early ChildhoodEducation programs.”

Accordingto a recent poll commissioned by the Louisiana Policy Institute forChildren, this is a bipartisan issue of greatimportance. 82 percent of likely voters in Louisiana said that quality, affordablechild care is an important issue in their communities and 81 percent believethat government should have some role in providing child care. Additionally, 62percent of likely Louisiana voters support increasing state funding for qualitychild care among working families (this includes 50 percent of conservatives,70 percent of moderates and 86 percent of liberals).

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AboutReady Louisiana:

ReadyLouisiana is a bipartisan, statewide coalition of businesses, advocacyorganizations, early care and education professionals, parents and citizensseeking sufficient investment in quality, affordable early care and educationin Louisiana. For further information, visit www.readylouisiana.org.

About the Jefferson Chamber:
The JeffersonChamber is a leading voice for Jefferson Parish’s businesscommunity. As a non-profit, membership-driven organization, the Chamber is aneffective advocate for small and large businesses at the local, state andfederal levels. The Chamber’s mission is to work for the advancement of thebusiness community; to enhance the economic, civic and cultural environment;and to improve the quality of life in Jefferson Parish. The Jefferson Chamberis Four-Star Accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was awarded the 2013and 2015 Chamber of the Year Award by the Louisiana Association of Chamber ofCommerce Executives in the Large Chamber Category.

For more information about the Jefferson Chamber,visit www.jeffersonchamber.org, and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.