NEW ORLEANS — Clara’s Little Lambs Preschool Academy has earned the National Best Place for Working Parents® designation. The Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children have partnered to launch The Best Place for Working Parents® Louisiana, joining the national network that recognizes employers with family-friendly policies.
The Best Place for Working Parents® Designation highlights how Clara’s Little Lambs Preschool Academy is implementing innovative practices that are helping today’s working parents provide for their families and adapt and thrive at work during extraordinary times. The Best Place for Working Parents® assessment highlights only the top 10 research-backed policies proven to benefit working parents AND businesses’ bottom line.
“Clara’s Little Lambs Preschool Academy is proud to be recognized as a Best Place for Working Parents”, said Sonjia Brown-Joseph, Executive Director of Clara’s Little Lambs Preschool Academy. “As an organization dedicated to caring for children every day, we understand how important it is for working parents to feel supported both at home and at work. We are honored to create a workplace that values our employees and recognizes that when our staff thrives, so do families, our children, and our community.”
Clara’s Little Lambs Preschool Academy is honored to join the National Network of Best Place for Working Parents® businesses that support their working parents and caregivers. By bringing The Best Place for Working Parents to Louisiana, organizations can attract and retain top talent, demonstrate their commitment to working families, and help build a stronger, more competitive workforce across the state.
“The early childhood workforce plays a critical role in supporting Louisiana families and preparing our youngest children for success,” said Dr. Libbie Sonnier, Chief Executive Officer of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. “Clara’s Little Lambs Preschool is leading by example by recognizing that the educators and professionals who care for children every day also need workplaces that support their own families.”
While family-friendly policies have a direct impact on working parents, local and national research proves that there is also a serious business case to being family-friendly:
- Employees with family care benefits report 45% higher productivity and 40% lower absenteeism.[1]
- Parental absences cost Louisiana businesses $762 million annually from missed work, turnover, and other related costs.
- The total impact of parental absences on the Louisiana economy is $1.3 billion annually.[2]
- Child care enables parents to work. More than 70% of parents could not work without a reliable child care arrangement.
- Even with their current child care arrangements in place, many parents still lack the care they need throughout the workday. Most parents had to take at least one day off of work in the last three months due to a child care disruption.[3]
The Best Place for Working Parents® online self-assessment provides a real-time dashboard of how a business fares against other businesses of like size and industry across each of the top 10 family-friendly practices in their region. Each of the top 10 policies includes research on business ROI and case studies that show how local businesses’ practices have impacted productivity, retention, job satisfaction, and attraction. You can access the 3-minute self-assessment, real-time dashboard results, and the Best Place for Working Parents® designation for qualifying businesses at business.bestplace4workingparents.com.
ABOUT The Best Place for Working Parents®
The Best Place for Working Parents® is a growing national network of business leaders proving that family-friendly IS business-friendly. Originating in Fort Worth, Texas, The Best Place for Working Parents® seeks to support businesses with research-backed strategies that benefit working parents AND businesses’ bottom line. Learn more at https://bestplace4workingparents.com/louisiana/ and www.bestplace4workingparents.com.
About Louisiana Policy Institute for Children: Louisiana Policy Institute for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that Louisiana’s young children, from birth to age four, are best prepared for success in school and in life. The Policy Institute develops policy proposals informed by data, research, best practices, and the experiences of other states to improve outcomes for Louisiana’s youngest citizens and provides educational and outreach activities based on recommended policy solutions. The organization works to ensure children are safe, healthy, and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.policyinstitutela.org and follow the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Clara’s Little Lambs
Clara’s Little Lambs is a trusted early childhood education program committed to providing safe, nurturing, and high‑quality care for young learners in the Algiers community for 40 years. We proudly use Frog Street, a nationally recognized Tier 1 curriculum, to ensure that every child builds a strong foundation in social‑emotional development, early literacy, math, and hands‑on learning through play.
Dedicated early-childhood professionals lead our classrooms, all certified with a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. This commitment to excellence ensures that every child is supported by educators who understand child development and deliver instruction with skill, compassion, and consistency. At Clara’s Little Lambs, children are safe, supported, and inspired to grow. We remain deeply committed to partnering with families, strengthening our community, and preparing every child for lifelong success.
[1] Care for Business. (2025). 2025 Future of Benefits Report: Combatting the employee burnout crisis. Available online at https://www.care.com/business/reports/2025-future-of-benefits-report/?utm_source=cfb_ws&utm_medium=M-PRS&utm_campaign=CFB_US_C-PRS_PRA_P-OTH_B2B_V-PRO_ACQ_TOF_T-DOW_L-ENG_28___FutureOfBenefits2025.
[2] Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center. (2021). Blanco Center Policy Brief: Child Care and the Economy in Louisiana. Available online at https://policyinstitutela.org/research/child-care-and-the-economy-in-louisiana/.
[3] Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. (2024). Caught in the Middle: Louisiana Parents Work, and the Struggle for Affordable Child Care. Available online at https://policyinstitutela.org/research/caught-in-the-middle-louisiana-parents-work-and-struggle-for-affordablechild-care-full-report/