February 28, 2020

In this issue:


Highlights from our 3rd Annual Early Ed Week
Seven cities across the state of Louisiana hosted Early Ed Week 2020 bringing together legislators, business leaders, and community partners. Early Ed Week 2020 was possible through the generous support of our sponsors,  Entergy Corporation, LLC ; Save the Children Action Network ; Jones Walker, LLP ; and Baptist Community Ministries.

Scroll to see the highlights from Early Ed Week 2020!
LAKE CHARLES, LA | 2.2.20
A special thanks to the following dignitaries
for attending Early Ed Week in Lake Charles!

State Representative Stephen Dwight , LA House District 35
Mayor Nic Hunter , City of Lake Charles
State Representative Phillip Tarver , LA House District 36
ALEXANDRIA, LA | 2.10.20
A special thanks to the following dignitaries
for attending Early Ed Week in Alexandria!

State Representative Ed Larvadain III , LA House District 26
Jeff Powell, Superintendent of Rapides Parish Schools
State Representative Michael T. Johnson, LA House District 27
SHREVEPORT, LA | 2.11.20
A special thanks to the following dignitaries
for attending Early Ed Week in Shreveport!

State Representative Larry Bagley, LA House District 7
State Representative Thomas Alexander Pressly IV, LA House District 5
State Representative Sam L. Jenkins Jr., LA House District 2
State Representative Wayne McMahen, LA House District 10
Office of the Mayor Adrian Perkins, City of Shreveport
State Representative Tammy T. Phelps, LA House District 3
MONROE, LA | 2.12.20
A special thanks to the following dignitaries
for attending Early Ed Week in Monroe!

State Representative Michael Echols, LA House District 14
Mayor Jamie Mayo, City of Monroe
Mayor Staci Mitchell, City of West Monroe
State Representative Chris Turner, LA House District 12
Mayor Caesar Velasquez, Sterlington, LA
BATON ROUGE, LA | 2.13.20
A special thanks to the following dignitaries
for attending Early Ed Week in Baton Rouge!

Dr. Belinda Creel Davis, BESE, Member-At-Large
State Representative Barbara Freiberg, LA House District 70
NEW ORLEANS, LA | 2.13.20
A special thanks to the following
dignitaries for attending Early Ed Week in New Orleans!

Governor John Bel Edwards, State of Louisiana
Jessica Baghian, Louisiana Assistant Superintendent of Education
State Representative Gary Carter Jr., LA House District 102
State Senator Troy Carter, LA Senate District 7
State Representative Aimee Adatto Freeman, LA House District 98
State Representative Ray Garofalo, LA House District 103
LAFAYETTE, LA | 2.14,20
A special thanks to the following dignitaries for attending Early Ed Week in
Lafayette!

State Senator Page Cortez, LA Senate District 23
State Representative Jean-Paul Coussan, LA House District 45
State Representative Mike Huval, LA House District 46
State Representative John M. Stefanski, LA House District 42
Dr. Holly Boffy, BESE Vice President, District 7
Finally, a sincere thank you to all of our hosts and partners who helped make Early Ed Week 2020 an enormous success. We deeply appreciate your partnership.
  • All About Kids Preschool
  • Baton Rouge Area Chamber
  • Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce
  • Capital Area United Way
  • Children’s Coalition Early Headstart
  • Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana
  • Clara's Little Lambs Federal City
  • East Baton Rouge Early Childhood Community Network 
  • First United Methodist Church Early Learning Center
  • Foundations Christian Learning Center
  • Gethsemane LaPetite Early Childhood Development Center
  • Jefferson Chamber
  • Louisiana Association of United Ways
  • OneAcadiana
  • Providence House Child Development Center
  • Rapides Parish Schools
  • United Way Acadiana
  • United Way Central Louisiana
  • United Way Iberia
  • United Way of Northeast Louisiana
  • United Way of Northwest Louisiana
  • United Way of Southeast Louisiana
  • United Way of Southwest Louisiana
  • Women United of United Way of Acadiana
Early Care and Education in the News

Local Leaders Should Come Together to Fund Early Childhood Care, Education

Dr. Bruce Wilson, President and CEO of United Way of Northwest Louisiana, wrote a letter to the editor in The Shreveport Times making the case for why investing in early care and education for young children in Louisiana is so beneficial based on research on childhood brain development and return on investment from funding early care and education.
Five Lessons on How States Can Invest in High-Quality Child Care and Early Education: A Closer Look at Efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi
in a recent op-ed in The Hechinger Report, Jessica Baghian , Louisiana Assistant State Superintendent of Education and Carey Wright , explain how they were able to make significant gains in early care and education in Louisiana and Mississippi. Read about the lessons they learned while transforming Louisiana and Mississippi's early care and education systems.
Bipartisanship Exists in Louisiana

Dr. Phillip Rozeman, physician and Board member of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, wrote an op-ed piece in The Bossier Press-Tribune about the opportunity Louisiana currently has to prioritize early care and education. The issue has bipartisan support, the LA Department of Education received a $33 million federal grant to expand early childhood seats and the Governor has announced it has top priority.
Count Our Kids in the 2020 Census!
It's almost time for the 2020 Census!
Did you know that the Census determines how and where billions of dollars of federal money is spent?

Children 0-5 are undercounted in the census at a higher rate than any other age group. Census data directly impacts schools including classroom sizes, food in children's bellies, books for students and more. Each person who goes uncounted costs Louisiana $2,291.

Our partner, The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, is making sure that we count everyone in the 2020 Census.

Partners can learn more about the Census here and download a social media toolkit developed by The Power Coalition to share with their networks here.
Key Dates:

March 12-20, 2020: All U.S. residents are invited to respond to the 2020 Census questionnaire.

March 23, 2020: Beginning on March 23, the head of each family will be able to complete the 2020 Census online.

April 1, 2020: Census Day

May 2020: The Census Bureau begins to follow-up with households that did not self-respond to the questionnaire
Upcoming Dates
  • Monday, March 9 Louisiana 2020 Legislative Session Convenes
  • Tuesday, March 10 Children's Day at the Capitol
  • Tuesday, March 10- Wednesday, March 11 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) Meeting
  • Tuesday, March 17 Children's Cabinet (CCAB) Advisory Board
About Us
The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC)
is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
that is a source of data, research and information
for policymakers on issues concerning young
children in Louisiana.   

For more information, contact Libbie Sonnier-Netto, Ph.D.
at lsonniernetto@policyinstitutela.org.
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