How to Enroll Your Child in a Child Care Program
How to enroll in a child care program depends upon your family’s parish of residence, child care setting, and personal circumstances.
Enrolling in Private Child Care in Any Parish
Contact child care provider(s) in your area to ask about their enrollment process, timeline, waitlist information, and other enrollment requirements.
Qualifying for Free Child Care
If you are seeking to qualify for publicly-funded child care (free programming), contact your local lead agency to learn more about early childhood options and opportunities. Publicly-funded child care options are available in all communities in Louisiana, including:
- Early Head Start (birth to two)
- Head Start (three to five)
- LA4 (pre-k 4)
- NSECD (pre-k 4)
Some parishes also offer free B-3 programs for children under the age of four, and Orleans Parish also offers a free NOEEN-City Seats program as well.
Affording Child Care
When it comes to affording child care, you have options. In Louisiana, you may apply for publicly-funded (free) child care through a variety of programs. Find out more about free and tuition-assistance programs below.
Child Care Assistance: The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides financial assistance to low- and moderate-income families who are working, looking for work, in training, or attending school statewide. Learn more and apply
Early Head Start and head start: Head Start is a federally funded program that promotes the school readiness of children from birth to age five from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development.
NSECD: The Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development Program (NSECD) provides low-income and moderate-income families the opportunity to send their preschool children to participating private preschools and child care centers.
LA4: The Cecil J. Picard LA 4 Early Childhood Program is the main public school preschool program in Louisiana. It provides full day pre-K programming in public schools to four-year olds from low- and moderate- income families.
PDG B3: Louisiana is using funding from the Preschool Development Block Grant and CRRSA funds to provide completely free early care and education to children under the age of four whose families meet CCAP requirements. Learn more
NOEEN-City Seats: The City of New Orleans provides funding that gives completely free early care and education and wraparound supports to low- and moderate income children in high-quality early learning centers.
Where Else Can I Find Help?
Co-founder, Agenda for Children
Linetta Gilbert is a co-founder of Agenda, our first employee, and steadfast champion. Linetta has made change everywhere she has been, from helping to design the CDA credential to grantmaking at the Greater New Orleans Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
In 2020, we passed zoning changes through the New Orleans municipal government which simplify and expedite zoning regulations for child care providers, making it easier for providers to expand their operations and increase capacity to serve families in need.