New Orleans Early Education Network (NOEEN) City Seats Program Evaluation
| LA-Louisiana State University Human Development Center - New Orleans, UCEDD/LEND | |||
| Program Type | LEND,UCEDD | Fiscal Year | 2020 |
| Contact | Maria Blanco, MEd | ||
| [email protected] | |||
| Phone | 504-556-7572 | ||
| Project Description | |||
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Access to quality early childhood education (ECE) has lasting effects on the lives of children and families. Children who receive quality ECE have improved outcomes for behavioral and emotional development, cognitive achievement, and health, as well as reduced risk of developmental delay. For economically disadvantaged families, childcare subsidies increase access to ECE, thereby increasing parents ability to obtain and maintain stable employment and improve their economic circumstances. However, families with young children in New Orleans face a number of obstacles to accessing high quality early childcare services. Critical barriers include the high poverty rate among families with young children, a lack of available slots (or seats) in local centers, and a lack of childcare subsidies available for families who qualify. In 2017, in a remarkable first step toward increasing access to quality ECE for local families, the Mayor of New Orleans and the New Orleans City Council allocated $750,000 for the creation of 50 new seats in early learning centers across the city. The program year ran from August 2018 through July 2019. The Human Development Center was selected through a competitive application to evaluate the City Seats Program. Program evaluation employed both process and outcome evaluation methodology to provide a comprehensive picture of the results of the City Seats program. City funding for the program was doubled for the 2019-2020 program year to serve a total of 112 children. The evaluation addresses nine research questions focused on measuring the program goals of increasing access, improving quality, and providing comprehensive child development services. |
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