Caddo part of Louisiana's $10 M pre-K grant

Louisiana is one of 18 states receiving third year grant funding for preschool programs.

Eighteen states will receive more than $247.4 million in awards under the Preschool Development Grant program to help districts continue their efforts to expand access to high-quality preschool for low to moderate-income families and for students with disabilities, the US Department of Education announced Wednesday.

“High-quality early education gives children the strong start they need to succeed in kindergarten,” Secretary of Education John B. King said. “The Obama Administration has made great progress in providing access to high-quality early learning, but we must do more. All of our children—regardless of socioeconomic status, race, language spoken at home, disability or zip code—deserve the kind of high-quality early learning opportunities that will prepare them to thrive in school and beyond.”

Louisiana will receive more than $10 million for Year 3 funding — an increase from $2.4 million in Year 1. By the end of Year 4, the state will have received $32 million.

The 18 states selected demonstrate a strong dedication to close equity and achievement gaps, the report stated. Six states, including Louisiana, met or substantially exceeded their initial targets, reaching 1,300 more children than planned.

LDOE Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood, Jenna Conway, said the state emphasized the importance of agencies working with childcare centers and to offer these classrooms in their settings, not just in a traditional school classroom.

"We have these community networks in every parish in Louisiana and they come together once a year with the purpose of making enrollment easier for families and understanding where families are choosing to go," Conway said. "Then they send us a (report) saying 'we need more slots for four-year-olds and here is where we'd like them to go in our community.'"

Caddo Parish was one of the initial six communities selected to receive the grant and still receives grant funding. City of Monroe, Iberville, Lincoln, Orleans and Rapides also received funding.

All six communities were funded to enroll 340 at-risk students in traditional and mixed delivery settings.

The Caddo Parish Network, also known as Caddo Smart Start, has approximately 90 early childhood sites located throughout Caddo Parish, according to Caddo Schools Supervisor of Caddo Smart Start Pam Crook.

The agency received $153,200 from the grant last year, based on the number of new pre-kindergarten seats open. This year, the agency received $191,500 for serving more four-year-olds.

Now, all Louisiana parish and community pre-kindergarten programs can apply for grant funding.

Year 3 Preschool Development Grants Awards

State                                          FY 16 Funding

Alabama.................................... $17,500,000

Arizona...................................... $20,000,000

Arkansas.................................... $14,993,000

Connecticut............................... $11,689,109

Hawaii........................................ $5,742,044

Illinois....................................... $20,000,000

Louisiana................................... $10,071,160

Maine......................................... $3,735,439

Maryland................................... $15,000,000

Massachusetts........................... $15,000,000

Montana................................... $10,000,000

Nevada..................................... $12,849,229

New Jersey................................ $17,499,134

New York.................................. $25,000,000

Rhode Island................................ $6,043,131

Tennessee................................. $17,486,490

Vermont...................................... $7,313,193

Virginia...................................... $17,500,000

Total....................................... $247,421,929