Washington, D.C. (June 15, 2022) –Save the Children Action Network, the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, is excited by all the Louisiana legislature accomplished for kids during this year’s session. Notable wins include:

• $25 million increase to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) paving the way for more early learning spots;
• $40 million to a matching fund for parishes and cities who use their local dollars to expand early learning programs;  
• Approximately $18 million increase to the funding for the existing Pre-K for 4 year-olds program;
• $9 million to bring back Early Childhood Services and Supports (ECSS) addressing mental health, screenings, referrals, and parent education and peer support;
• $889,000 statewide investment in food support programs via Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) match at farmers markets for fresh produce.

“This legislative session, our policymakers invested $84 million into early childhood education, and also made significant investments in vital child nutrition programs. I cannot overstate the impact these investments will have on Louisiana’s families and children, particularly after such a difficult few years with COVID-19 and its related challenges affecting so many,” said Scott Tippet, Louisiana State Manager for Save the Children Action Network. “We sincerely applaud Louisiana’s policymakers – together with Governor Edwards – for so monumentally prioritizing Louisiana’s youngest. Our future will be all the better for it.”

Throughout the legislative session, Save the Children Action Network advocates in Louisiana worked closely with the Ready Louisiana Coalition in support of these child-centric investments. Advocates met with policymakers, provided testimony, and sent hundreds of signatures and emails to their legislators to make the case for investing in kids and families. Save the Children Action Network will continue to work in close partnership with coalition partners, Governor Edwards and state policymakers to ensure all children have the early learning opportunities and nutrition needed to thrive in school and in life. 

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Save the Children Action Network was created in 2014 as the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, to be the political voice for kids. We work to ensure that the issues critical to children’s lives and futures are given top priority by our elected leaders, building bipartisan support to make sure every child has a strong start in life. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.