§407.101. Early Childhood Care and Education Commission
A.The legislature finds that the early childhood care and education network
established by Act No. 3 of the 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature and community
networks created by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education have been
instrumental in improving kindergarten readiness. Community networks, especially those
with the highest performance, are able to demonstrate that affordable access can be achieved
when provided with adequate resources. Providing early childhood programming of high
quality, rather than affordable access alone, must remain a state priority. While quality can
be measured on a statewide basis, it is best assured through community-based plans and local
early childhood program collaboration.
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§407.101. Early Childhood Care and Education Commission
A. The legislature finds that the early childhood care and education network
established by Act No. 3 of the 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature and community
networks created by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education have been
instrumental in improving kindergarten readiness. Community networks, especially those
with the highest performance, are able to demonstrate that affordable access can be achieved
when provided with adequate resources. Providing early childhood programming of high
quality, rather than affordable access alone, must remain a state priority. While quality can
be measured on a statewide basis, it is best assured through community-based plans and local
early childhood program collaboration.
B. The Early Childhood Care and Education Commission is hereby established for
the purpose of building on the foundation established by Act No. 3 of the 2012 Regular
Session of the Legislature to create a vision for the future of early childhood care and
education in Louisiana.
C.(1) The commission is composed of forty-five members as follows:
(a) One representative of a municipality that receives Head Start funding, appointed
by the governor.
(b) One representative of a Head Start program, appointed by the governor.
(c) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization, appointed by
the governor.
(d) One representative of a disability advocacy organization, appointed by the
governor.
(e) One representative of the governor's office, appointed by the governor.
(f) One business representative, appointed by the speaker of the House of
Representatives.
(g) One local school superintendent, appointed by the speaker of the House of
Representatives.
(h) One representative of Type III early learning centers, appointed by the speaker
of the House of Representatives.
(i) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization, appointed by
the speaker of the House of Representatives.
(j) One parent of a child in a publicly funded child daycare center, Early Head Start
Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten program, appointed by the speaker
of the House of Representatives.
(k) Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the
House of Representatives.
(l) One business representative, appointed by the president of the Senate.
(m) One local school superintendent, appointed by the president of the Senate.
(n) One representative of Type III early learning centers, appointed by the president
of the Senate.
(o) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization, appointed by
the president of the Senate.
(p) One parent of a child in a publicly funded child daycare center, Early Head Start
Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten program, appointed by the
president of the Senate.
(q) Two members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate.
(r) Two representatives of high-performing community early childhood care and
education networks, appointed by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
upon recommendation of the state superintendent of education.
(s) One representative of a nonpublic school participating in a publicly funded early
childhood care and education program, appointed by the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education.
(t) A member appointed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Louisiana Chapter.
(u) One person with professional expertise in the operations of a family care center,
appointed by the governor.
(v) One early care and education researcher from a public postsecondary education
institution, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
(w) One representative from either a Type I or Type II early learning center,
appointed by the president of the Senate.
(x) One representative of maternal, infant, and early childhood home visitation
programs within the Bureau of Family Health, appointed by the secretary of the Louisiana
Department of Health.
(y) One representative of the Early Steps program within the Bureau of Family
Health, appointed by the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
(z) One representative of early childhood programs within the state Department of
Education, appointed by the state superintendent of education.
(aa) One representative of the Louisiana Head Start Collaboration Office, appointed
by the state superintendent of education.
(bb) One representative of the special education programs within the state
Department of Education, appointed by the state superintendent of education.
(cc) A staff member of the Board of Regents, appointed by the Board of Regents.
(dd) The secretary of Louisiana Works, or his designee.
(ee) The secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, or his designee.
(ff) The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, or his
designee.
(gg) One professional with expertise in the socioemotional development and well-being of children from birth through age four, appointed by the governor.
(hh) One early intervention researcher from a Louisiana public postsecondary
education institution, appointed by the Board of Regents.
(ii) One early childhood education researcher from a Louisiana public postsecondary
education institution, appointed by the Board of Regents.
(jj) One member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education,
appointed by the president of the board.
(kk) One early childhood development and education specialist, appointed by the
president of the Center for Development and Learning.
(ll) One member of the Louisiana Educational Television Authority, appointed by
the chairman of the authority.
(mm) One representative of a nongovernmental economic development organization,
appointed by the chief executive officer of the Committee of 100 for Economic
Development, Inc.
(nn) One representative of a child advocacy organization, appointed by the executive
director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.
(oo) The president and chief executive officer of the Louisiana Association of
Business and Industry, or his designee.
(pp) The executive director of the Child Care Association of Louisiana, or his
designee.
(2) A vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same
manner as the original appointment.
(3) The chairman of the House Committee on Education and chairman of the Senate
Committee on Education, acting jointly, shall select two members to serve as co-chairmen
of the commission.
(4) The members of the commission shall serve without compensation.
(5) Members shall serve a term of four years from the date of appointment. However,
the term of a member appointed by an elected official shall not extend beyond the term of
the appointing authority.
D. The state Department of Education shall provide staff support for the commission.
E. The commission shall study and make recommendations relative to establishing
a vision for the future of early childhood care and education in Louisiana. When conducting
analysis and making recommendations relative to a vision and framework, the commission
shall do all of the following:
(1) Gather and analyze data relative to the current availability, quality, and cost of
early childhood care and education throughout the state for children from birth through age
four, determine needs and priorities, and develop a plan focused on family access,
affordability, and quality.
(2) Consider research, local coordination currently established in Louisiana including
current high-performing community networks, and related work done in other states to
determine best practices for the purpose of informing and fostering the continued
development of local governing entities that coordinate across programs and providers in
order to meet family needs, drive quality improvement, maximize financial resources, and
support children from birth through age four and their families.
(3) Determine a sustainable infrastructure to ensure quality programs across
providers. Such infrastructure shall include workforce and professional development,
monitoring and assessment, coordinated enrollment, and data-informed decisionmaking.
(4) Identify opportunities for collaboration and coordination among programs and
agencies responsible for development of children from birth through age four.
(5) Define a timeframe for achieving the vision and determine benchmarks for the
intervening years.
(6) Determine the amount of funding needed to achieve affordable access to quality
care and education for all children from birth through age four and recommend policies that
prioritize the allocation of future funding.
(7) Gather and analyze data, laws, and policy in Louisiana and other states where
children are in the care of family child care providers and consider and make
recommendations relative to the incorporation of such providers into the early childhood care
and education network.
(8) Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 210, §3.
F. Not later than ninety days following the end of each fiscal year, the commission
shall provide a report of its findings and recommendations and the status of the
implementation of its recommendations to the governor, the members of the legislature, the
state superintendent of education, and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education.
G. The commission shall meet at least two times per year. At each meeting, the state
Department of Education shall provide updates on how the commission's recommendations
are being implemented. The commission shall make any further recommendations it deems
necessary to advance the vision and goals established pursuant to Subsection E of this
Section.
H. The affirmative vote of a majority of the commission members present and voting
shall be necessary for any action taken by the commission. The commission shall be
domiciled in Baton Rouge but may hold public hearings elsewhere in the state.