Donors sought to help provide Rapides children with access to early childhood education

People and businesses in Rapides Parish have a chance to help provide early childhood education through donations that, in the best scenario, will allow more at-risk children from birth to age 3 to get vital services during the most crucial stage of their development.

The effort, called the Early Childhood Education Fund, is a partnership between the Rapides Parish Early Childhood Network and the Community Foundation of Central Louisiana. The fund will provide children from low-income homes a full scholarship to attend Type III early learning centers in the parish.

Any donations received by Jan. 31 will be matched — twice. Once by the state, and again by The Rapides Foundation after its board of trustees earmarked up to $3.9 million to help people afford early childhood education in three parishes.

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Rapides Parish was awarded the bulk of that, $2.4 million. Of that, $1.4 million will be used for the local match that is required to receive money from the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund. The Foundation will match up to $1 million in local donations.

Cindy Rushing, early childhood/Head Start director for the school system, said the effort will be used to provide services to more families or, in the worst case scenario, replace millions that might disappear in the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1.

If that funding disappears, more than 450

The state has provided funds for early childhood education as children returned to school after the pandemic. But those funds are not permanent, and Rushing said it's unknown whether more will be awarded for the next fiscal year.

According to the district, Rapides serves less than 20% to 25% of the parish's at-risk children from birth to 3. That rises to more than 90% once children get to age 4 and prekindergarten.

But so much of a child's brain development happens before age 4, and Superintendent Jeff Powell says all children in Rapides deserve access to a high-quality early education.

"Early childhood learning is critical during the first 2,000 days of a child's life," said Powell, talking about how much the brain develops in a child's first five years. "We believe that by providing Rapides Parish families with high-quality learning experiences, our community thrives."

He said the benefits of early education extend into a child's later years and professional life after school. Children who have received an early education are less likely to repeat a grade, be identified as special needs, are more likely to graduate and then earn a higher wage once in the work force, he said.

"I believe that's enough significant impact for everybody to want to be a part of that," he said.

Joe Rosier, president and CEO of The Rapides Foundation, said the organization has supported local education mostly in professional development and coaching with investments totaling almost $9.4 million, but the possibility of losing funds for early childhood education demands more local action.

At the same time, more children from birth to 3 need to be enrolled in early childhood education programs, he said.

The Rotary Club of Alexandria has agreed to invest financially in the effort, and it is asking its members to support it. Members Randalle and Patrick Moore are chairing the club's Signature Project.

Patrick Moore recalled a red and white bumper sticker on his father's green Oldsmobile when he was a child that read, "Alexandria: City of the Family." He said, even though the area has its issues, that remains true.

He said he and Randalle moved back here in 1982 to start a business, raise a family and "never looked back." But he said people still would ask why he was here.

"It's a great place to raise a family," he said. "We may be challenged in that in this moment, with all the things that are going on, but this is the reason when asked why we agreed to do this and help, is because this is a great place to live."

Interested in donating?

• Online with the Central Louisiana Community Foundation (CLCF) at https://www.clcf.net/donate-to-a-fund. Select the Early Childhood Education Initiative.

• Mail checks to CLCF at P.O. Box 7432, Alexandria, LA 71306. Make sure to mark it to the attention of the Rapides Early Childhood Education Initiative. An acknowledgment will be sent to you via mail or email.

Rapides Parish has 69 early childhood providers, and the Louisiana Department of Education ranks the parish sixth in the state in its district performance score.

Twenty-seven of those sites were rated excellent for the 2022-23 school year. Rushing says those include 10 school sites, one Head Start site and 16 early learning centers.

The combined scores teacher evaluations at those sites is a six to seven out of a possible seven points, she said.

No site in Rapides has an unsatisfactory or approaching basic score. Six are ranked as proficient, and the remaining 36 sites are ranked as high proficient.

Interested in signing up for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)? You must:

• Be employed at least 20 hours per week.

• Be a full-time student.

• Be actively seeking employment with a Louisiana Workforce Commission HIRE account)

• Gross less the following per month — $4,020 for 2-person household; $4,966 for 3; $5,912 for 4; $6,858 for 5; $7,804 for 6; $7,981 for 7; $8,159 for 8; and $8,336 for 9.

• Contact Early Childhood Guide Facilitator Trinity George at 318-443-5443 or email trinity.george@rpsb.us.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Local donations sought to help more Rapides kids get early education