For Child Care Providers
How Providers Can Take Action
Advocacy Groups
Ready Louisiana Coalition
The Ready Louisiana Coalition is a bipartisan, statewide coalition of businesses, advocacy organizations, and early care and education professionals committed to seeking sufficient investment in quality, affordable child care and education in Louisiana. To join the coalition or for more information, email info@readylouisiana.org.
For Providers, By Providers Advocacy Group
For Providers, By Providers is a child care provider-led advocacy group that brings together child care providers in the Orleans Parish region to advocate for increased funding, access, and quality for early care and education. For Providers, By Providers aims to help educate stakeholders on early care and education issues and why they matter and mobilize child care providers to take action around key issues and make direct requests to policymakers. To learn more, visit https://forprovidersbyproviders.org/ or to join For Providers, By Providers, email Rochelle Wilcox at wilcoxacademyed@gmail.com.
Other Ways to Take Action
Click here to learn about other ways you can take action as a child care provider.
If you are a child care business owner and would like to learn how you can take action as a business, see this section for more general business information.
School Readiness Tax Credits
School Readiness Tax Credit for Child Care Providers
This tax credit is available to providers with at least a two-star quality rating and is based on the number of low-income children served by the provider (as determined by participation in the state Child Care Assistance Program or foster care). The value of the credit increases with the provider’s star level.
To access the provider tax credit, the Louisiana Department of Education provides documentation to each qualifying provider of the average monthly number of children participating in CCAP and the Foster Care Program for each site for the previous tax year by March 1st. The provider must then submit or maintain the certificate as required by the Department of Revenue in subsequent forms and instructions. For more information, visit the Louisiana Department of Education’s School Readiness Tax Credit guidance.
School Readiness Tax Credit for Child Care Teachers and Directors
This tax credit is available to teachers and directors who have attained higher training and education, as measured by the Louisiana early care and education career ladder, and are employed in centers participating in the quality rating system.
Teachers and directors will continue to receive communication about how to file for this tax credit from Louisiana Pathways. For questions about forms for the Teachers/Director School Readiness Tax Credit, please contact Louisiana Pathways at 1-800-245-8925.
Professional Organizations for Child Care Providers
Child Care Association of Louisiana (CCAL)
Child Care Association of Louisiana (CCAL) is a statewide, professional membership organization for early childhood providers. Click here to visit CCAL’s website.
Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children
The Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children (LAAEYC) promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. For more information, visit LAAEYC’s website.
Louisiana Early Childhood Association
The Louisiana Early Childhood Association (LAECA) is a non-profit early childhood organization for teachers, parents, caregivers, and early care professionals dedicated to improving the lives of Louisiana’s children from birth to age 8. For more information, visit LAECA’s website.
Additional Key Resources
Licensing Information
Child Care Facility Licensing Information
Professional Credential Information
Continuing Professional Development
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Information
Ready Start Networks (RSNs)
Ready Start Networks are driven by local data and context and assess local demand for early care and education and create a blueprint to address gaps; recruit stakeholders to expand early childhood coalitions; establish local governance structures to make collaborative decisions and; implement fundraising strategies to satisfy local demand.
Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs)
Child care resource and referral agencies are organizations contracted by the Louisiana Department of Education across the state to work with child care providers to develop new child care facilities and offer training and coaching for all staff. These agencies also assist families with finding and evaluating child care providers.
You can find your local agency by clicking on this map of child care resource and referral agencies in Louisiana.