Roadmap to Success

1. Roadmap to Success Ensuring Children in Small childcare settings are safe and ready for kindergarten

2. What Is a Small Childcare Setting? A Small Childcare (SCC) Setting is: A Small Business Paid Care and Education Services For Non-Related Children For 6 Children or Fewer Often (but not always) in the provider’s home

3. Why Not Call It Family Child Care? Family Child Care Home Implies… Small Childcare Setting Family- mostly serving children who are related to the provider Family- care is primarily a favor rather than operating as a business Home- that care is always provided in a residence and can be confusing since it has multiple meanings in statute Small- the maximum capacity is significantly smaller than Child Care Centers Childcare- paid care for children in a setting outside their own homes Setting- includes residences and other settings that house these businesses

5. Why Regulate SCCs? In Louisiana, SCCs do not need to register, have inspections, have criminal background checks, or meet any health or safety standards. Crawfishing has higher standards.

6. Minimum Standards for SCCs Ensure Protection Parents rely on the state to ensure basic health and safety for their children. Most child deaths and injuries in child care settings happen in facilities that lack consistent standards and oversight. In the absence of an effective licensing process, parents face the nearly impossible task of assessing danger on their own. Few parents are prepared to conduct a comprehensive criminal background check, look for fire hazards, or inspect food safety.

7. Regulating SCCs Supports Parent Choice Louisiana Parents… Louisiana Parents who choose SCCs… Value the chance to choose the setting that best meets their child’s needs Are often unaware that not all child care settings must meet minimum standards Are unable to participate in the SRTC Cannot take advantage of Quality Start Are less protected because they choose (or must choose) a smaller setting

8. About 59% of the children in SCCs are 0-3, and will soon enter the PreK/K landscape • The first three years (birth-3) is a key period of development for language, social, emotional, and numeracy skills critical for school success • Most regulation for SCCs across the country includes standards that improve educational outcomes. Kindergarten Readiness “Only half of Louisiana’s children enter kindergarten ready to learn. We can change this if we have high standards for our earliest learners, clear information for parents, and support for teachers.” -John White, Louisiana Department of Education Superintendent

9. How Many Are We Talking About? If each SCC currently serves 6 or fewer children, it shouldn’t have much impact… right?

10. Known Providers Serving Children

12. Known Small Childcare Settings

13. Louisiana has no mandatory regulations for SCCs. SCCs outnumber all other childcare settings and currently serve more than 40,000 children. Parents have many reasons to choose SCCs. SCCs are businesses that help Louisiana thrive. Louisiana is lagging behind other states in safety and accountability for this setting. Improving the quality of SCCs would benefit the state in the long term.

14. Coalition Participants In 2012, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s Success By 6 Collaborative convened a broad group of advocates and concerned citizens interested in improving the quality of what is currently known as family child care in Louisiana. The goal of the resulting coalition is to improve oversight and support for providers across the state so that all of Louisiana’s children in paid child care settings enter kindergarten ready to learn. Following is a list of organizations that have helped guide the coalition’s conversations.

15. Coalition Participants Agenda for Children Child Care Association of Louisiana (CCAL) Children's Coalition of Northeast Louisiana Children's Defense Fund Coaxum Enterprises Dillard University Education Consultant Education's Next Horizon Entergy The First Three Years Forelle Consulting Group K&K Providers Key Community Volunteers Kids Count Data Center Kingsley House (Child Care Center) Louisiana Association of United Ways Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families New Orleans Outreach NSU Child and Family Network OAJ Enterprises OPEN Orleans Parish Health Department Partnership for Youth Development Picard Center Royal Castle Child Development Center (Child Care Center) Seamless Transitions SSG Consulting Services United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) Volunteers of America Partnerships in Childcare Whitney Bank Women’s Leadership Council (WLC)