News

NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 11, 2026) – Years of coordinated public investment have transformed early childhood education in New Orleans, resulting in more children from low-income families accessing high-quality programs, more centers and schools reaching the state’s highest quality ratings and stronger early literacy outcomes at kindergarten entry, according to Agenda for Children’s inaugural State of … Read more

Report highlights workplace priorities and challenges affecting educator retention in Orleans Parish NEW ORLEANS (July 21, 2026) — Agenda for Children and Tulane University’s Early Childhood Policy Research Lab released a new research brief today examining the workplace experiences of early childhood educators in Orleans Parish and the factors they say matter most in deciding … Read more

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 36th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book captures what children and youth need most across four domains: Economic Well-Being; Education; Health; and Family and Community. Because state policies play a critical role in shaping children’s lives, a child’s future success often depends on where they grow up. Results for Louisiana’s children … Read more

Article Link from NOLA.com, Author: Joni Hess While Louisiana has made progress in expanding early childhood education for thousands of children, most workers still don’t earn a living wage, according to a recent survey. New Orleans, however, is tackling some of the problem through local taxpayer money — a major source of funding for early … Read more

Join CPA John Carroll on November 14th from 11:45 to 12:30 for a webinar on how your business can donate up to $5,000 to Agenda for Children and get every penny back through the fully refundable School Readiness Tax Credit program. Register here or visit our School Readiness Tax Credit page for more details on … Read more

January 2023–NOLA Family Magazine features Agenda for Children’s partner the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) in its January issue.  LPIC and Agenda worked together to raise and distribute more than $300,000 to help early learning providers who had been impacted by Hurricane Ida. Read the full article: New Orleans Policy Institute for Children Read more

December 26, 2022–“Since New Orleans voters last spring approved a property tax measure to pour millions of dollars into early childhood education, the nonprofit tasked with expanding the city’s free child care program has been working behind the scenes to ensure access for hundreds of low-income families. The vote to fund the City Seats program through a 20-year … Read more

December 19, 2022–“As Rochelle Wilcox welcomed late arrivals to the Wilcox Academy of Early Learning one December morning, she admitted she could no longer remember the name of every child who passed through the doors of the blue house on North Broad Street in the 7th Ward. Her staffers, the women who work with children … Read more

November 11, 2023–Last week, Madere & Sons Towing donated $65,000 to early childhood programs in Plaquemines Parish by claiming School Readiness Tax Credits for all thirteen of their businesses. “It’s all about your community and giving back—we couldn’t be who we are, my kids couldn’t be who they are, without early childhood programs,” says Jamie … Read more

Louisiana ranks 49th in child well-being, according to the 2022 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring. Children in America are in the midst of a mental health crisis, struggling with anxiety and depression at unprecedented levels. … Read more