Jefferson Parish Awarded 508 Early Care and Education Seats by BESE
Seats provide high-quality early education experiences for economically disadvantaged children
NEW ORLEANS, LA. (May 12, 2021) – The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) recently voted on the allocation of publicly funded early care and education seats across the state, awarding Jefferson Parish Schools 508 slots at high-quality early learning sites for low-income children birth to age three. These seats — funded through the federal Preschool Development Grant (PDG) which the state won in 2019 — are a significant expansion upon the Parish’s current 135 seats which span across eight community partner sites.
“This award of 508 early childhood seats enables us to expand our partnerships to additional early learning sites across Jefferson, allowing more low-income, working families of infants, toddlers and three-year-olds in our communities access to these high-quality, publicly funded early education experiences,” said Jefferson Ready Start Network Director Sarintha Stricklin, Ph.D. “With every additional seat we receive, we are one step closer to achieving our goal of ensuring that all young children in the parish enter kindergarten ready to learn.”
These early childhood seats are monitored for quality and subsidized with public dollars. Currently, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Education, 45 childhood sites in Jefferson Parish have earned the highest quality ratings of High Proficient and Excellent.
“Jefferson Parish has prioritized creating a culture of high-quality, comprehensive early childhood services and it shows,” said Greater New Orleans, Inc. Vice President of Policy Ileana Ledet. “This additional funding will add capacity for Jefferson Ready Start Network to continue to meet the growing needs of this large parish in our state, giving our youngest students a strong start for future success.”
All early childhood networks — such as Jefferson Ready Start Network — receiving these seats for children birth to age three will be required to create a funding and sustainability plan during the 2021-2022 academic year. This plan ensures that these seats are tenable and last beyond the timeframe of the Preschool Development Renewal Grant and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations funding.
Jefferson Ready Start Network is a partnership of community leaders and thought partners from multiple sectors, including the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Jefferson Business Council, Jefferson Parish Government, Jefferson Parish Schools, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Tulane University, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Louisiana Policy Institute for Children and many others.
To learn more about Jefferson Ready Start Network and its mission of creating a culture of high-quality, comprehensive early childhood services through engagement and partnerships with families, educators and community members throughout the parish, visit www.jeffersonreadystartnetwork.com.