This March 2024 photo provided by The Hechinger Report shows Derrika Richard as she walks her three youngest children to their child care classrooms at Clara’s Little Lambs in New Orleans. In this undated photo provided by The Hechinger Report, a 3-year-old plays in an outdoor classroom at Early Partners, a child care center in New Orleans that participates in City Seats, a tax-funded program that pays for child care.
New Orleans is part of a growing trend of communities passing ballot measures to expand access to child care. In Whatcom County, Washington, a property tax increasefor child care and children’s mental health to the county’s annual budget. A marijuana sales tax approved last year by voters in Anchorage, Alaska, will generate
In New Orleans, a city with many in the service industry and other low-wage jobs, the City Seats funding has been transformative for parents struggling to hold down demanding, mostly non-unionized jobs. The program has also been a boon for the child care centers themselves. Another parent, Mike Gavion, who has two children enrolled at Early Partners in the Garden District, said City Seats allowed his wife to finish school and get a nursing job. Before the program was available, Gavion’s wife had to care for the children, now 2 and 4, and could only make slow progress through the coursework she needed to qualify for a job.
Participating providers are required to pay their staff at least $15 an hour — on average, Louisiana child care workers madein 2020 — and abide by strict teacher-to-child ratios and class sizes. They also receive professional development from early learning experts.
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