December 2023 Monthly Update
What a year 2023 has been! At the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC), we are incredibly proud and grateful for all that we helped accomplish with our numerous partners on behalf of our youngest learners this year. Here are some highlights:
Earlier this month, LPIC participated in the third annual Geaux Far Louisiana retreat as an implementation partner. Geaux Far Louisiana implementation partners include leaders from the business, maternal and infant health, child well-being, and early care and education industries. These partners are collectively responsible for serving as lead or co-lead for the administrative, legislative, and implementation work for components of Geaux Far Louisiana. Following the retreat, steering committee members and implementation partners look toward the future of Geaux Far Louisiana’s goals.
On December 13th, we released the Louisiana Home Visiting Capacity Study Report in partnership with the Build Intiative. The purposes of this study was to document the history of home visiting in Louisiana, summarize current home visiting efforts, and provide information on key elements moving forward to ensure that all families who want to participate in home visiting can do so. Click here to watch the press conference.
In mid-December, the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) held its first Southern Early Childhood Education Justice Network convening in Atlanta, GA. Thehe Southern Early Childhood Education Justice Network unites more than 30 state policy organizations and advocates across 17 states to concentrate on improving and expanding early learning opportunities for young children throughout the South. Representing the advocacy efforts of early childhood education in Louisiana, Partnerships Director, Candace Weber, PhD, and Government Affairs Director & General Counsel, Sadie Becnel, along with our partners For Providers by Providers Rochelle Wilcox and Kristi Givens, attended the convening.
In the new year, we will celebrate our annual Early Ed Month in February with an entire month of initiatives and events highlighting the critical need for increased investment in high-quality early care and education for young children, birth to age four, in Louisiana. Be sure to tune in!
As always, we can’t thank you enough for your continued generosity and support both financially and through your advocacy on behalf of our state’s youngest learners. We look forward to continuing to advance policies to ensure the children of Louisiana are successful in school and in life in 2024.