Family & Community | Agenda for Children

Family & Community in Louisiana

Children thrive when their families are thriving, and families can be successful when they live in supportive communities with quality opportunities for learning, working, and leisure.

Over the past decade, Louisiana has seen some improvements in measures of community and family well-being, including improvements in the number of children who live in families where the household head lacks a high school diploma (12% in 2019, down from 17% in 2010) and historically low teen birth rates (28 per 1,000 females ages 15-19 in 2019, a 42% reduction from the 2010 rate).

Unfortunately, we’ve also seen the number of children living in high-poverty neighborhoods increase to 19% in 2019, more than double the national average of 9%.

How We Can Work Toward Ensuring All Children Grow Up in Safe, Opportunity-rich Communities

Invest in affordable, reliable public transportation to better connect families in high-poverty neighborhoods to jobs and services, such as full-service grocery stores and medical care.
Provide more comprehensive supports for young parents, including case management and assistance with child care, so that parents without a high school diploma can participate in high school equivalency programs.
Increase funding for mentorship programs and expand access to comprehensive sex education and contraception.
Eliminate current restrictions in Louisiana law on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) that prohibit questions about teens’ sexual behaviors so that researchers and practitioners can gain better insight into trends in risky behaviors in our state, as well as evaluate whether prevention programs are effective.

Related Publications

Data on Family and Community Well-being in Louisiana

The KIDS COUNT Data Center has a wealth of data on family and community well-being at the state and parish levels. LEARN MORE

State Level Partners Working to Improve the Welfare of Children’s Families and Community

19%
of Louisiana children live in high poverty areas in Louisiana (2019)
23%
of Louisiana children have experienced two or more adverse experiences
12%
of Louisiana children have a parent who was ever incarcerated
7%
of Louisiana children are in the care of their grandparents (2019)
You can make Louisiana a state in which all children can thrive!
Get Involved
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book Ranks Louisiana 49th in Child Well-BeingLearn more
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