June 2023 Monthly Update
The 2023 Legislative Session was a success! Your support made it possible for the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children to advocate for funding and policies that support young children and their families. We achieved huge wins!
This year, we are walking away with almost $52 million in new funding for young children in HB 1, which is the largest investment of state dollars into the Child Care Assistance Program in well over a decade. When session ended, there was $44 million in the budget, but thanks to a line item veto by Governor Edwards, we now have almost $52 million total going into early care and education. As a result, approximately 4,000 children across the state are going to keep their seats. Our team has worked tirelessly over the last two months, in coalition with our partners like the Ready Louisiana Coalition, and we are very proud of this result!
In addition to increased investment in early care and education, the Legislature passed three important pieces of legislation that support children and their families:
- Representative Barbara Freiberg’s HB 338 modifies the duties of the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission and requires them to look at a formula to fund early care and education.
- Representative Ken Brass’ resolution HCR 43 urges and requests the Department of Education to update its early care and education data management systems as soon as possible.
- Senator Sharon Hewitt’s bill SB 201 requires the use of technology when conducting public meetings to facilitate participation for those who find it difficult to attend in-person but whose experiences would improve the process. This will allow parents of young children to participate in the public meeting process regardless of access to childcare.
We are proud to have advocated for these wins, which are excellent steps in the right direction toward ensuring Louisiana children are prepared for success, parents are supported, and employers have a reliable workforce.
LPIC will be closed for our summer rest and recharge from July 3rd-7th. We wish everyone a happy and safe summer.
Thank you for remaining steadfast in your advocacy on behalf of young children and families in Louisiana. As we all know, in order for us to Geaux Far for Louisiana’s young children, we must geaux together.