March 2025 Monthly Update
March 29, 2025
With the 2025 legislative session around the corner, we would like to keep you informed on issues and activities leading up to and throughout the session. As a leading member of the Ready Louisiana Coalition, our primary focus in this session is maintaining current investments in early childhood education. Our Coalition is urging legislators to invest by:
- Ensure the maintenance of $103.4 million in total funding for state pre-K programs for 4-year-olds, including LA4 and the Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development Program (NSECD), between state and federal TANF funding sources to maintain seats for approximately 17,700 children. Furthermore, should the constitutional amendment eliminating 8(g) funds and the Education Excellence Fund pass, appropriate an additional $10 million to the LA4 program so that nearly 2,000 more children will not lose their seat.
- Invest at least $87.8 million in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to provide working families across the state with access to affordable early childhood programs, as recommended by the bipartisan 2024 Louisiana Early Childhood Care and Education Commission. Investing at FY24 amounts would allow for the reinstatement of at least 720 seats.
- Appropriate at least $30 million to the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund, which provides a dollar-for-dollar match to local investments in child care to specifically expand access to our most underserved population, birth to 3-year-olds. Securing a full state match would ensure the continuation of more than 2,000 seats across the state.
If you are interested in receiving weekly updates during the legislative session, please feel free to sign up for membership in the Ready Louisiana Coalition by contacting Candace Weber, Ph.D., at info@readylouisiana.org, or sign up here.
Thank you for advocating on behalf of young children and families in Louisiana because for us to geaux far, we must geaux together.