FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 4, 2022

Contact: Brigitte Nieland

Phone: 225-612-3882

Email: bnieland@stand.org

TWO STAND FOR CHILDREN LOUISIANA STAFF MEMBERS NAMED TO EBR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION STRATEGIC PLANNING STEERING COMMITTEE

Executive Director Carrie Griffin Monica and Government Affairs Director Brigitte Nieland attended the first meeting of the steering committee that will develop a strategic plan to expand early care and education in East Baton Rogue Parish.

(BATON ROUGE)—Stand for Children Louisiana is pleased to announce it has been offered two seats on EBR’s Early Care and Education Strategic Planning Steering Committee. The Steering Committee met for the first time on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. It has been charged with developing a multi-year strategic plan to expand access to high-quality early care and education in East Baton Rouge Parish for children under five. The strategic plan will be presented to the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in August 2022.

“We thank Dr. Narcisse and his team for bringing on consultants who can lead the Steering Committee in this work,” said Stand for Children Louisiana Executive Director Carrie Griffin Monica. “Expanding access to quality early education has been a priority for Stand Louisiana for a decade now, and we are very thankful to have been asked to serve on this Committee.”

Access to early care and education has been shown to positively impact brain development, improve school readiness, increase a student’s likelihood of graduating high school, have long-term health benefits, and decrease an individual’s likelihood of future involvement in the criminal justice system.

According to research from the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, only 40% of Louisiana’s children enter kindergarten meeting critical benchmarks. In EBR, only 34% of children in need ages birth to four have access to a publicly funded quality seat, leaving over 10,000 in need children unserved. The numbers differ greatly based on age: while 96% of all in need four-year-olds are being served with a publicly funded seat, only 5% of infants, 10% of one-year-olds, and 17% of two-year-olds are being served.

“When you look at what’s currently offered in Baton Rouge, there are undeniable gaps that we must address,” said Stand for Children Louisiana Government Affairs Director Brigitte Nieland. “We must focus on our youngest children if we are truly going to change the odds for our students and families.”

In this process, Stand for Children Louisiana has committed to ensuring parent voices are heard and considered, equity is at the forefront of all decisions, and serving students and families remains the ultimate goal.

About Stand for Children Louisiana

Stand for Children Louisiana is a unique catalyst for education equity and racial justice, to create a brighter future for us all. For more information, please visit www.stand.org/louisiana.

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