BATON ROUGE — Members of the Ready Louisiana Coalition joined together on Tuesday for Early Ed Day at the Capitol to urge the Louisiana legislature to invest in early childhood education.
The Coalition, composed of more than 200 organizations, including chambers of commerce, civic organizations, businesses, and advocacy organizations representing more than 1 million people in Louisiana’s workforce, is urging lawmakers to act during the 2026 session to ensure every Louisiana child has the quality early learning experience they need to succeed.
Seven in ten Louisiana children enter kindergarten unprepared. Currently, Louisiana serves fewer than 20% of children from birth to age 4, and more than 7,000 children remain on the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) waiting list. For most families, child care is the single largest household expense, averaging $14,000 per year per child, on par with in-state college tuition, yet reliable access remains out of reach.
“High-quality early childhood education is essential for Louisiana’s future workforce, as we know that kids who are kindergarten-ready are more likely to succeed in school. It’s also essential for today’s workforce. Working parents are the backbone of Louisiana’s economy, and they cannot show up for work if they do not have access to reliable, affordable, high-quality education for their children,” said Senator Thomas Pressly. “Every day we delay this investment is another day Louisiana families and businesses pay the price.”
Research shows that students who start behind have a harder time catching up. These consequences follow children throughout their lives as they face persistent gaps in achievement, graduation rates, and future earnings. Early childhood is the window when brain development is fastest, and intervention is the most effective, but Louisiana is letting it close for most children.
The economic toll of inaction is staggering. Parental absences driven by child care instability cost Louisiana businesses an estimated $762 million annually in missed work, turnover, and lost productivity, contributing to a $1.3 billion loss to the state’s economy. By contrast, employees with access to family care benefits report 45% higher productivity and 40% lower absenteeism. Affordable child care is an essential economic infrastructure investment.
“The research is there: students who start school ready to learn are more likely to graduate, earn more, and contribute to a stronger Louisiana economy,” said Dr. Libbie Sonnier, CEO of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. “Investing in early childhood education today is the highest-return on investment our state can make for its future workforce.”
The Coalition is calling on the legislature to act on these three priorities:
- Invest $30 million in the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund now and ensure that the state meets its matching fund obligation each year by codifying the annual match into law.
- Invest an additional $95 million of state funds in our state’s early childhood programs for birth to 3-year-olds now, and an additional $95 million annually for the next 10 years to gradually grow and sustain state investment in ECE each year. This level of investment will ensure that Louisiana increases the number of children served from 18% to 67%.
- Continue to adopt business-friendly policies, such as the Workforce Child Care Tax Credits, that incentivize employers to invest in ECE for their employees and communities.
“More and more communities across Louisiana continue to embrace the Early Childhood Education Fund; they have passed millages and raised millions of dollars to qualify for this partnership,” said Patrick Moore, Senior Strategist at Moore Planning Group. “It is perfect timing for the legislature to continue its leadership and advance that original commitment by codifying the ECE match into law. This action will remove barriers and allow many families to be even more productive and accessible for new jobs.”
About Ready Louisiana
The Ready Louisiana Coalition — a bipartisan group of over 200 organizations, including chambers of commerce, civic organizations, businesses, and advocacy organizations representing more than 1 million people in Louisiana’s workforce — exists to advocate for one issue: increased access to high-quality early childhood education for the Louisiana children and families who need it. Our membership believes that investing in high-quality early childhood education will enable parents to be productive in the workforce, serve as an economic engine for communities across Louisiana, and prepare our youngest children for a smart start in life.