NOEEN Steering Committee
The New Orleans Early Education Network (NOEEN) is a collaborative partnership between every publicly funded early education provider in the city. NOEEN is managed by Agenda for Children.
NOEEN’s work is guided by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from schools, centers, Head Start and Early Steps. All Steering Committee meetings are open to the public and information about past and future meetings is available to the public, too.
What is the NOEEN Steering Committee’s Strategic Plan?
NOEEN Steering committee members worked with early childhood stakeholders and Bellwether Education Partners to develop a vision for NOEEN’s future.
Steering Committee Members
Every sector (centers, Head Start, public schools and private schools) and funding sources (CCAP, LA4, Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG), NSECD, Early Head Start and Head Start) are represented on the steering committee.
Current Members
- Dr. Keith Liederman, Chair, Head Start, Kingsley House
- Jennifer Roberts, Child Care Resource and Referral, Agenda for Children
- Thomas Lambert, IDEA, Child Search, NOLA Public Schools
- Maria Blanco, Early Head Start, LSU Health Sciences Center
- Thelma French, Head Start, Total Community Action
- Kristi Givens, CCAP, City Seats, Early Head Start, Kids of Excellence
- Carole Elliot, NSECD, Archdiocese of New Orleans
- Joyce Ridgeway, Early Steps, Department of Health, Region 1
- Kate Mehok, LA4, Crescent City Schools
- Joy Mitchell, CCAP, City Seats, PEG, Children’s Palace
- Rhonda Taylor, Head Start, Catholic Charities
- Emily Wolff, City Seats, Mayor’s Office of Youth & Families
Steering Subcommittees
Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, the NOEEN Steering Committee established three working groups, or Subcommittees, comprised of Steering Committee members, Agenda for Children representatives, and a variety of other stakeholders and content-area experts committed to improving quality, access, and accountability in early childhood education.
Steering Subcommittees consist of strategic, forward-thinking policy, practice, and advocacy work in the areas of Quality, Enrollment, and Funding. Policy or practice changes proposed in the course of Subcommittee sessions will be brought to the full Steering Committee for deliberation and / or ratification.
2021-2022 Public Meeting Schedule
Meeting time and date will be announced in the appropriate meeting agenda. Unless otherwise stated, all meetings will be held from Agenda for Children (8300 Earhart Blvd., Suite 201). All meetings are open to the public. To attend a virtual meeting, please visit the appropriate meeting agenda, posted below, and follow the enclosed instructions to receive the meeting link.
No meetings will be held in December, February or April in observation of coincident holidays. The NOEEN Steering Committee will recess from June – July 2021, reconvening for the 2021-2022 school year in Fall 2021.
- September 8, 2021
- October 13, 2021
- November 10, 2021
- January 12, 2022
- March 9, 2022
- May 11, 2022
To attend a virtual meeting, please visit the appropriate meeting agenda, posted below, and follow the enclosed instructions to receive the meeting link.
Minutes and Materials from Past Meetings
Agendas, presentations and minutes from previous meetings are available on our NOEEN Steering Committee Meeting Archive page.
Public Comments for the Steering Committee
Public comments for the Steering Committee, including those related to coordinated enrollment, can be submitted via email at publiccomments@agendaforchildren.org.
Sign Up for the NOEEN Newsletter
Please sign up for our newsletter, New Orleans Early Education Network (NOEEN) News, to be informed of any changes to the meeting schedule. (Note that it is the last option on the sign-up form.
Educator
Kathleen Lee worked at Agenda for over two decades, first working with parents to provide child care referrals, and later training and coaching countless child care teachers and directors. Many child care teachers and directors were inspred to further their education, pursue their career goals and start their own child care centers as a result of working with Ms. Kathleen.
Secured $3M local municipal investment and $3M in state matching funds that will increase next year’s NOEEN City Seats program to serve 400 infants and toddlers in New Orleans. Plus, we also received a State allocation of 373 Preschool Development Grant seats. That’s nearly 800 new infants and toddlers in New Orleans who will have the opportunity for quality early education each year.