Louisiana

Overview

During the 2023-2024 school year, Louisiana preschool enrolled 19,515 children, an increase of 1,058 from the prior year. State spending totaled $80,855,503 and an additional $29,909,874 in TANF funds supported preschool, up $2,127,339 (2%), adjusted for inflation, since last year. State spending per child (including TANF) equaled $5,676 in 2023-2024, down $210 from 2022-2023, adjusted for inflation. Louisiana met an average of 7.8 of 10 quality standards benchmarks.

What's New

During the 2024-2025 academic year, there was a reduction of TANF allocated to the Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program (LA 4) program. Although there was a decrease in TANF funding for pre-K seats, an increase in state general funding allowed for an increase of capacity from 17,084 to 17,100.

During the 3rd Extraordinary Session of 2024, House Bill 7 passed and was signed by the Governor as Act 1 (a constitutional amendment). Act 1, among other things, would have dissolved the LA Education Quality Trust Fund and LA Quality Education Support Fund – known as 8(g). Act 1 also required the balances in those funds to be transferred to the Teacher Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) by May 1, 2025, to pay off a portion of the state’s Unfunded Accrued Liability (UAL).

In addition, House Bill 5 passed and was signed by the Governor as Act 8, which provided for permanent teacher salary increases through savings realized by school systems’ reduction in its employer TRSL contribution rate. The 8(g) fund is a statutory dedication contained within the State Constitution. Therefore, the constitutional amendment (Act 1) was placed on the ballot during a special election in March 2025 for approval by the voters; that amendment did not pass. This means, at this time, the 8(g) program will continue as it has operated in the past.

Background

Louisiana has three distinct state funded preschool programs: the 8(g) Student Enhancement Block Grant Program (8(g)), the Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program (LA 4), and the Nonpublic Schools Early Childhood Development Program (NSECD). Many school districts also use federal Title I funding to provide high-quality pre-K to 4-year-olds in public schools, typically adopting the same standards as LA 4.

The first of Louisiana’s state-funded pre-K programs, initially established in 1988, is the 8(g) program. It was created to compensate for the loss of the Model Early Childhood Program when matching annual appropriations for that program ended. The 8(g) program serves 4-year-old children and priority is given to students living at or below 200% FPL. However, if all income-eligible children are served, additional students may be served if they are deemed “developmentally unprepared.”

The largest of the three state-funded pre-K programs, the LA 4 program (formerly LA 4 and Starting Points), was established in 2001 and serves 4-year-old children in public schools, independent LEA charter schools, and tribal schools. Programs can subcontract with Head Start, Type III licensed child care centers, and non-independent LEA charter schools to deliver the LA 4 program. Teachers in LA 4 are required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and meet all the qualifications required for public school teachers, regardless of where the program is located. Eligibility for this program is based on income: all children must be at or below 200% FPL to enroll. 

Also established in 2001, the NSECD program supports high-quality pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds in nonpublic settings. Teachers in the NSECD program are required to have a bachelor’s degree and assistant teachers are required to have at least a CDA. NSECD has the same eligibility requirements as the LA 4 program and funding is available for this program on a competitive basis.

During the 2012 session, the Louisiana Legislature passed Act 3, unifying multiple early childhood initiatives under the Department of Education and in collaboration with other state agencies. This system contains aligned program standards, a quality rating and improvement accountability system in which all programs receiving state and/or federal funds are required to participate, a unified professional development system, birth-through-five early learning and development standards, and a cross-agency integrated data system.

During the 2016-2017 school year, Louisiana completed its first full year of the unified quality rating and improvement system for all publicly funded childcare, Head Start and pre-K sites. The state shared information for all programs serving children birth to age five via a family friendly website, www.louisianaschools.com, which provides comparable information about program quality.