2021 Early Childhood Risk & Reach Report

Early childhood experiences have lasting impacts on a child’s ability to reach their full potential. When looking at measures of children’s well-being, Louisiana consistently scores poorly in comparison to the rest of the United States. It is important that policymakers, public health professionals, and other key stakeholders understand these trends in early childhood well-being. To this end, the 2021 Early Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana report is designed to help all early childhood stakeholders – governmental and nongovernmental – make informed decisions about the distribution of critical health resources. The report complements information included in the Early Childhood System Integration Budget. 

The 2021 Early Childhood Risk and Reach report describes five categories of health challenges
facing Louisiana kids and families: Economic Stability; Healthcare Access & Quality; Social & Family Context; Education Access & Quality; and Neighborhood & Built Environment. The report also describes the reach of key publicly-funded programs that address these risks and challenges. Data on program reach are overlaid onto maps of overall risk, which helps to illustrate which parishes may require additional services and investments to support children’s health and well-being.

Highlights include:

• 73,228 children live in the 32 parishes that are classified as either Moderate-
  High or High Risk, representing approximately 23.8% of all children under age 5 in Louisiana.
• Louisiana has leveraged both state and federal funds to provide access to eight key programs and
  services for young children: Medicaid; WIC; EarlySteps; Maternal Infant and Early Childhood
  Home Visiting (MIECHV); Early Head Start; Head Start; high-quality, publicly funded child
  care for children ages 0-3, and high-quality, publicly funded pre-K for children age 4.
• Black children face more disadvantages on average than White children, which is a result of centuries of structural racism.

The 2021 Early Childhood Risk and Reach in Louisiana report is a tool designed to be used by all early childhood stakeholders, governmental and nongovernmental, to better inform policy and funding decisions that impact the distribution of critical resources.

Download the full report here.