17 November 2025
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
On November 4, the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) and the First Five Years Fund (FFYF) released polling data showing strong bipartisan support amongst Louisianans for legislative action to address Louisiana’s growing child care crisis.
The poll was conducted in September of this year by LPIC, FFYF and UpOne Insights. It showed 65 percent of Louisianans (49% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats) believed the state should do more to support working families with young children. Eighty-one percent of respondents believed the state was facing a “crisis” or “major problem” in child care affordability and access. Nearly 40 percent of voters said they would cross party lines to support a candidate who advanced policies to help working parents afford early child care. Two-thirds of Louisianans said the state government should take the lead on early child care issues instead of relying solely on Congress.
“It (the poll) really shows the diverse range of support,” said Mattilyn Karst Batson, policy and research director of LPIC.
The support was not just politically bipartisan; the poll indicated support across all of Louisiana’s regions. Eighty percent of north Louisiana residents, 82 percent of south Louisiana residents, and 85 percent of Greater New Orleans Area residents said access to quality, affordable child care was important.
If there is so much support for improved child care in Louisiana, why are legislators not acting? Batson suspects it is because state leaders have a lot of competing priorities.
“They try to figure out areas where they can get the maximum return on their investment,” Batson said.
The issue isn’t solely about showing kindness and decency to young children and working parents. It is also in Louisiana’s economic interest to support working parents in obtaining child care. Many parents have to drop out of the workforce entirely to care for a young child because they cannot find affordable child care. Other parents are limited at their workplace because they regularly have to arrive late or leave early due to child care demands. Louisiana is 45th in workforce participation, according to Congress’ Joint Economic Committee.
“Access to child care means working parents can continue to engage in the workforce, and the state can reap the benefits of their talents,” Batson said. “Imagine where Louisiana could be if all parents who wanted to work were able to work.”
Sixty-nine percent of poll participants viewed investments in early childhood programs as a smart economic move for the state.
Batson said the problem is not unique to Louisiana; many states are struggling with it. However, she added New Mexico has recently made a commitment to fund free universal child care.
Child care professionals in New Orleans also agree more needs to be done to fund early care in Louisiana.
“It is a crisis,” said Rochelle Wilcox, owner of Wilcox Academy of Early Learning in New Orleans. “It is a state of emergency because what we are receiving in state funds makes it hard to pay teachers what they deserve.”
Wilcox, who has worked in early child care and education for 26 years, said the average pay of an early care teacher in Louisiana is $10.36 an hour.
“No one can take care of their family or even just themselves at that rate,” Wilcox said. “They can’t even afford rent in New Orleans based on that rate.”
Wilcox said it is frustrating because teaching in early care in Louisiana requires certification. She said many of her teachers have that and beyond but the state still treats them as if it is not a valid professional career. She said early care teachers deserve not just better pay but benefits because of the important work they do with the area’s youth.
“The first 1,000 days are the most important days in human development,” Wilco said. “That’s when the brain synapses are firing the most. Early care teachers are the brain architects. It takes a lot to do what we do.”
The Louisiana Weekly reached out to six Louisiana legislators regarding the results of the poll, and to inquire about state-level efforts to improve support for child care for working La. families, including two state representatives – Rep. Kendricks “Ken” Brass (D-District 58) and Rep. Barbara Freiberg (R-District 70); and four state senators – Sen. Regina Barrow (D-District 15), Sen. Royce Duplessis (D-District 5), Sen. Rick Edmonds (R-District 6) and Sen. Beth Mizell (R-District 12). None responded as of press time.
This article originally published in the November 17, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.