Our Work
The Policy Institute seeks to be a source of non-partisan, independent information on issues concerning children ages birth through four in Louisiana. We also develop policy proposals informed by data, research, best practices and the experiences of other states for improving the outcomes of Louisiana’s young children, and then provide educational and outreach activities around these recommendations.
Below are some examples of our policy proposals:
Louisiana Early Learning Center Licensing Regulations
In November 2015, a draft version of Bulletin 137: Louisiana's Early Learning Center Licensing Regulations was developed by the Louisiana Department of Education and then brought to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) for approval. The Insitute developed the following policy papers to inform policy makers and stakeholders on the regulations as originally proposed, seeking changes to be made before the regulations would be finally passed by BESE.
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Comparison document of the old regulations to the proposed regulations, and comparing both of these to nationally recommended standards and benchmarks.
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Development of Recommendations based on the national standards and best practices.
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Brief on Staff-Child Ratios, a key provision of the regulations and advocacy issue of the Policy Institute. These ratios are a critical factor in achieving successful child outcomes.
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Brief on Continuing Education (CE) Training and Trainer Approval System for Child Care Teachers, another key provision of the proposed regulations, and advocacy issue of the Policy Institute.
As finally passed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the new regulations included many of the Policy Institute's recommendations--critical improvements over what had been originally proposed by LDOE and over what had existed in the past in Louisiana, including:
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Finally ending corporal punishment in child care in Louisiana
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Restoring minimum qualifications for directors
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Maintaining quality control on continuing education hours required for teachers
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Limiting screen time for children
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Requiring physical activity, increasing safety and quality standards for Type I centers
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Requiring daily early learning activities
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Requiring the daily schedule, as well as classroom teacher to child ratios, be posted
To read the final version of Bulletin 137, click here.
To read media coverage of these issues:
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State panel grapples with pre-K oversight
Advocate-December 6, 2014 -
Amid some dissent, new preschool licensing regulations approved for Louisiana
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com-December 2, 2014 -
Education Board moves ahead with licensing revamp
Town Talk-December 2, 2014
Louisiana's New Accountability and Enrollment Systems for Publicly Funded Early Care and Education Programs
Under the Early Childhood Education Act (Act 3) of 2012, all publicly funded early care and education programs were mandated to receive a letter grade beginning with the 2015-2016 school year. As initially proposed by the Louisiana Department of Education, this accountability system was to take the form of Report Cards for both individual early childhood programs and the community networks. The Policy Institute and Education’s Next Horizon released a Report with Recommendations in response to the initial draft of the Report Cards that included the following:
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Background information on the early childhood reform in Louisiana
The Institute also released questions and concerns for the statewide roundtable meetings on the Report Cards.
The regulations to implement the accountability system ultimately were included in proposed Bulletin 140, which also included the regulations to implement an enrollment system for all early care and education programs statewide. In response to the initial draft of Bulletin 140, the Insitute developed:
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Concerns and Recommendations for the initial draft of Bulletin 140.
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A Policy Brief on Local Governance Structures for Early Care and Education Systems
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A Brief to support Type III child care centers: How does Bulletin 140 affect my Center?
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The Institute also released suggested questions for the statewide roundtable meetings on the proposed Coordinated Enrollment system.
The final version of Bulletin 140 as passed included few of the Policy Institute's recommendations on the Accountability System. For this reason, the Institute worked with the Legislature to pass a revision of the Act 3 statute to provide that no letter grades could be assigned in the 2015-16 school year, and require a report by BESE to the Legislature on the implementation of Act 3 before the 2016 Legislative Session. In addition, the Policy Institute ensured that there would be a number of opportunities to revise both the Accountability and Enrollment Systems before they go into full effect in the 2015-16 school year.
To read the final version of the Bulletin 140 as passed by BESE, click here.
To read media coverage of some of the issues:
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Study sees 'serious flaws' in Louisiana's proposed system for grading Pre-k programs
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Flaws abound in Louisiana's draft preschool report cards, group says
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com-March 30, 2015
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Some day care directors critical of proposed pre-school revamp
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com-June 14, 2015
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BESE committee partially approves preschool grades policy Tuesday
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com-June 16, 2015
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State Education Board Addresses Preschools Concerns
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com-June 16, 2015
Increased Investment in Louisiana's Early Care and Education Programs
The Institute has worked tirelessly to increase awareness of the severe lack of funding for early care and education in Louisiana, including both the Child Care Assistance and Pre-K Programs, and to protect the current funding.
The School Readiness Tax Credits (SRTC), which started in 2008, are
unique to Louisiana and have received national recognition. Over 15 bills were introduced in the 2015 Legislative Session that would have decreased or eliminated these credits. The Policy Institute led a coalition of advocates to protect them, and through these efforts they did remain whole.
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As part of these efforts, the Institute released a Policy Brief to describe the benefits and successful support they are for Louisiana's Early Childhood Care and Education.
In the 2015 Legislative Session, the Policy Institute and its advocacy partners worked with the Representative Helena Moreno to pass House Concurrent Resolution 174 that calls upon State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to identify sources of state and federal funds available in Louisiana for early childhood care and education, as well as additional potential funding sources used by other states for such purpose, and submit to Legislature a written proposal of funding mechanisms and a corresponding strategy for implementation of an $80 million increase in funding for early care and education programs.
The Policy Institute has led a coalition called Ready Louisiana of over 70 organizations statewide that are advocating for Increased Investment in early care and education in Louisiana.
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The Policy Institute co-authored a Policy Brief for the coalition on the importance of investment in quality, a ffordable early care and education in Louisiana
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To see the Ready Lousiana website click here.
To read some of the media coverage of this issue:
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Louisiana has a plan to improve preschool, now it needs to pay for it: Editorial
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com- September 19, 2014 -
For La. moms, Paul Ryan’s poverty plan could make a bad situation worse
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Funding for pre-K revamp uncertain
Advocate-December 20, 2014 -
Thanks, Bobby Jindal, for not cutting preschool -- but we still need more money, critic says
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com- February 27, 2015 -
Louisiana must invest in its youngest residents: Editorial
Times-Picayune/NOLA.com- April 17, 2015 -
Lack of affordable day care centers in New Orleans forces some young parents to weigh safety versus cost
Advocate-September 26, 2015 -
Funding the Future: Early Childhood Opportunities
Louisiana Public Broadcasting-October 21, 2015