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Dozens of local kids coming off child-care waiting list

The Courier - 8/6/2018

Aug. 06--Dozens of children from low-income families in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes will receive child care and early education services starting next month as the result of a one-time federal grant.

Statewide, about 4,500 children ages infant to 4 will be taken off a waiting list for the Child Care Assistance Program, officials said. The figure represents 71 percent of the 6,250 children on the waiting list for the program, which helps parents who are working or attending school.

In Terrebonne, 74 of the 95 children on the waiting list, or 78 percent, will receive the child care services this year. In Lafourche, 38 of 50 children, 76 percent, will come off the waiting list.

The Louisiana Education Department started last week notifying parents on the waiting list via email and postal mail. Children can start receiving the services in September.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to provide affordable child care to thousands more of the hard-working families who have patiently waited for this opportunity," state Education Superintendent John White said in a news release. "But it is important to remember this money is only guaranteed for one year and is only a small portion of the amount of funding needed to help our most vulnerable children."

Officials said they expect about 7,000 children across Louisiana will be on the waiting list after the state exhausts this year's grant.

Money comes from an appropriations bill Congress approved earlier this year. Louisiana is required to spend its $39 million on expanding available seats at child care centers and initiatives to improve the quality of care. About $28 million of that money will go to the Child Care Assistance Program.

To clear the waiting list this year would cost another $16 million, about $6,300 per child, officials said.

In 2009, the program served close to 40,000 Louisiana children, but state budget cuts have reduced that number to just over 14,600, officials said.

State officials are working on a long-term strategic plan for early childhood education and to strengthen local governance so communities can expand access. The first step has been the creation of the state-level Early Childhood Care and Education Commission, which met for the first time last week.

In addition to the waiting list, the commission seeks to address the lack of services for children identified as at-risk academically. Louisiana serves 56,588 at-risk children through various federal- and state-funded programs but has identified nearly 200,000 at-risk children from birth to age 5.

-- Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or keith.magill@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourierEditor.

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(c)2018 The Houma Courier, La.

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