“” shows we must be relentless in investing in children and families so every child has the resources they need to succeed.

While 26% of Louisiana children lived below the Federal Poverty Level in 2019, another 31% were growing up as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). ALICE families earn above the FPL but not enough to afford a barebones household budget.

The report also reveals significant disparities for children by race: 76% of Black children and 66% of Hispanic children in our state were considered ALICE in 2019, compared to 42% of White children.

Traditional poverty measures significantly undercount the number of children living in financially insecure households. That matters because the FPL is used to determine eligibility for assistance programs, leaving many struggling ALICE families locked out of critical support for housing, food and education.

Access to early childhood education helps children develop the foundational skills needed to succeed in school and allows parents to work. Children with access to high-quality early childhood education are more likely to obtain more education and have higher lifetime earnings, and are less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system.

Lawmakers have the chance to make meaningful investments to expand early childhood education access for low-income families this session. As members of theÌý, we urge legislators to appropriate $94 million to these programs to support Louisiana’s children, families and economy.

“ALICE in Focus: Children” better informs our path toward equitable solutions for ALICE families. It’s time we take the necessary steps to ensure every Louisiana child thrives.

Patty Riddlebarger
vice president for corporate social responsibility, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Charmaine Caccioppi
executive vice president & COO, United Way of Southeast Louisiana

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Letter to the editor originally published in the May 5, 2022, edition of .

Louisiana needs immediate and robust investments in quality early child care and education. The reasons why are lengthy — from preparing our children to be successful in school and in life, to simply being the right thing to do. But it is one of the lesser-discussed and not immediately obvious reasons that affects us all: our economy.

The lack of access to affordable, high-quality early care and education has a profoundly negative impact on workplace productivity and participation in Louisiana. In fact, according to a study conducted with support from Entergy, , the instability created from a lack of early care costs employers in our state $816 million annually, costs the state economy $1.1 billion and results in a tax revenue loss of almost $84 million. Those numbers are staggering but preventable.

The losses to our state’s employers stem from workplace absences, resignations, and employee turnover. Two-thirds of all children birth through age five in Louisiana have either both of their parents or their single parent in the workforce. Yet, access to early care and education that is both quality and affordable is severely lacking and inconsistent across the state.

As a result, parents are often forced to make career sacrifices to stay home and care for their children. In fact, Louisiana’s child care issues result in 41% of parents of young children missing work on one or more days in a three-month span, 14% turning down a promotion, 19% transitioning from full-time to part-time, and 16% quitting their full-time job altogether.

These astounding numbers must be reduced by investing in early care and education programs in which our children can grow and learn in a safe space, allowing their families to prosper and helping our businesses thrive.

Entergy is proud to sponsor Early Education Week across Louisiana with local United Ways and the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children as we call to attention the urgent need to support our youngest learners and working families. When half of households in our state live under the threshold and struggle to make ends meet, it is simply the right thing to do.

Let’s start by restoring the 23,000 child care slots that were cut from the Child Care Assistance Program. Let’s start by making sure our children are a priority by investing in quality early child care and education in Louisiana.