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
- Roadmap to Improve Child Well-Being in Louisiana (Agenda)
- Parish Profiles
- Youth Behavior Risk Survey 2019: Louisiana Results (CDC)
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
Advocate
Dr. Nagle transformed Louisiana’s early care and education system during his time in Louisiana. Not only did he co-create the state’s first quality rating system, he created Louisiana’s pioneering School Readiness Tax Credits. The credits have put millions of dollars directly into the hands of underpaid teachers and directors, and given high-quality programs much-needed funding.