One of the highest correlations to academic failure is poverty. Louisiana has the fourth highest rate of children in poverty in the nation – 22.7%. Yet, research clearly shows that at-risk children enrolled in high-quality pre-k programs experience improved language skills, higher cognitive performance, higher reading and math scores, and fewer failures.

 

Louisiana has high-quality pre-k programs, including LA-4 and Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development, (NSECD) which consistently rank among the top programs in the country. For a variety of reasons, there are still some children in our state not enrolled in quality pre-k programs. The good news is that in recent years we have made significant progress in this area. Of the 38 states that provide funding for pre-k initiatives, Louisiana ranked #12 in terms of access in 2007-08.

 

In 2008, legislation was passed mandating access for all 4-year olds, regardless of income, by the 2013-2014 academic year. School districts will also be required to allocate a minimum of 10% of new funding after the 2009-2010 academic year to provide programs in diverse delivery settings.

 

But it is not just a question of access. The state does not control quality standards at all programs, such as federally-funded Head Start, which are run by a plethora of entities in communities statewide. In addition, not all parents are aware of the availability or value of high quality pre-k programs offered by the state or local districts. Both challenges need to be addressed to help achieve not just access, but participation in quality programs.

 

Louisiana’s educational progress and, therefore, our overall economic recovery depend on reaching all children at an early age. It’s a solution that works.

   

Things to Consider

• Educators report young children living in poverty often start school with little vocabulary—sometimes as few as 100-500 words.
• High-quality pre-k programs, like LA-4, have reduced the number of students placed in special education by 40% and the number of students repeating a grade by 45%.
• Children coming into the LA-4 program start with scores below the 10^th percentile in language and math skills, but jumped to the 50^th percentile upon completing the program.
• Since 1998, at-risk children who attended LA-4 programs made twice the gains in 3^rd grade language scores as those who did not participate in the program.
• Independent assessment scores give Louisiana pre-k (LA-4 and NSECD) a rating of 8 to 9 out of 10 on quality standards.
• In 2007-08, Louisiana ranked 9^th out of 38^th in per-child funding and scored an 8 out of 10 in quality standards.
• In 2008, Louisiana spent $5,800 per child on state pre-k programs (does not include local expenditures).
• In 2008, 30% of the state's 4-year olds were enrolled in a state pre-k program in Louisiana, though all may not be of the high standards of LA-4. LA-4 served 13,389 at-risk 4-year olds in 2007-08.
• 67 of the 71 school districts (plus 12 charter schools) offer LA-4.