Louisiana Early Literacy Town Hall

Early childhood literacy is seen by education experts and advocates as one of the most important factors in predicting the long term educational outcomes of students. In 2012, the Louisiana Legislature passed the Early Childhood Education Act, in recognition of the fact that Louisiana’s students must have a strong foundation to ensure their success at all levels of education.

In the effort to close the state’s education achievement gap, Louisiana lawmakers will consider House Bill 85 during the upcoming Legislative session. Also known as the Steve Carter Literacy Program, HB 85 would provide Louisiana families with payments of up to $500 per student per year for eligible services intended to improve reading or literacy skills. The program would serve up to 168,754 students in its first year.

Joining us to discuss Louisiana’s challenge of addressing early childhood literacy are Jason Hughes, Louisiana House of Representatives; Kenneth Francis, Agenda for Children; Thelma French, Total Community Action, Inc.; Michael Willis, Center for Development and Learning; and Ann Duplessis, American Federation for Children.