Early Childhood Education
Community
Since 2019, the ECE initative has leveraged nearly $20 million to support Early Childhood Education!
Why is Early Childhood Education important to CFNLA?
Community Counts data from 2012 to the present reveals an alarming decrease in Kindergarten Readiness scores for Shreveport-Bossier. Currently, 60% of students who enter Caddo Schools score below the benchmark for K Readiness. Numerous studies indicate a lack of K Readiness correlates strongly with academic and behavioral challenges and involvement with juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. Click here, here, and here to learn more!
In the seasons of gratitude and giving, there are many occasions to give back on behalf of someone special in your life. This holiday season honor your loved ones in a unique and meaningful way by donating to CFNLA’s Early Childhood Education Fund. There is no better way to celebrate friends and family than by supporting all the children in our community!
Here’s how it works: With a minimum donation of $20 per card, CFNLA will notify your friends and family about your generous gift via a hand-addressed Merry and Bright Holiday card. You have the option to make your donation online or send a check to the CFNLA office: 401 Edwards Street, Suite 105, Shreveport, LA 71101. You can designate your gift to the Caddo ECE Fund or Bossier ECE Fund. If you opt to mail a check, kindly include a list of recipients’ names and mailing addresses, or simply email the details to [email protected] no later than December 20.
Giving the Gift of a Brighter Future is a truly thoughtful way to show appreciation to those you love. Moreover, your contribution will help uplift our community by ensuring all children have a strong educational foundation.
Why is it so important our community continue to support the ECE Initiative?
- All children, regardless of income level, deserve equal access to quality childcare and early education. Studies show access to quality early education not only helps prepare young children for kindergarten but also ensures they have a better chance of graduating from high school and not repeating grades. Click here, here, and here to learn more!
- Access to high-quality ECE (average: $8,600/year) is unaffordable for many families. More than 30% of families with children under the age of 5 in the Shreveport-Bossier MSA are living in poverty, and the median income for all families is approximately $48,000. In 2021 in Caddo, only 37% of low-income three-year-olds have access to publicly funded early learning. There is less access for children 0-2. See Parish Fact Sheet for Caddo.
- Major brain development occurs in the first few years of life. According to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, a child’s experiences during the earliest years of life have a lasting impact on the architecture of the developing brain.
- Working parents need childcare. Moreover, lack of reliable childcare costs employers billions in Louisiana.
- Investing in ECE is an investment in our entire community. Research shows high-quality, birth-to-five early childhood education provides a return on investment (ROI) of 13%! An investment in early education improves not only cognitive abilities, but also critical behavioral traits like sociability, motivation, and self-esteem.
What has CFNLA done to respond to low K Readiness scores?
- In 2020, CFNLA launched the ECE Fund to expand access and enrollment in quality early childhood education for Caddo Parish children, ages 0-3. In 2021, CFNLA raised $1 million and secured a $1 million match from Louisiana. A total of $2 Million resulted in 209 scholarships to Type III ECE centers for low-income children ages 0 to 3 in 2022.
- In the fall of 2022, the City of Shreveport approved one-time funding of $2.8 million for ECE Scholarships which resulted in $2.8 million matching state dollars.
- In 2024, CFNLA raised $1.34 million which, when combined with $660,000 from the City, will result in a $2 million state match, or a total of $4 million.
Early Childhood Education Fund Outcomes
- Over 1,000 children have received scholarships since the initiative began.
- From 2020-21 to 2023-24, ECE scholarships increased enrollment of children ages 0-3 by 43%. Specifically, enrollment of ages 0-2 increased by 34%
- Among the 18 participating centers, 10 new classrooms have opened resulting in increased revenue for these private businesses.
Three years of data have shown children attending childcare centers are far more kindergarten-ready than peers who do not attend preschool.
