Economy
La. awarded nearly $8M to improve early childhood education
LOUISIANA WEEKLY — Research leaves no doubt about the magnitude of development in the first five years of life.
By Kari Dequine Harden
Research leaves no doubt about the magnitude of development in the first five years of life.
Every second, one million new neuro connectors are formed in an infant’s brain, and about 90 to 95 percent of brain development occurs by the time a child enters kindergarten.
And all those aspects of early human development, from brain growth to the capacity for empathy, are affected by a child’s environment and experience, said Jen Roberts, executive director of the The New Orleans Early Education Network (NOEEN). Early childhood education is “one of the most important factors contributing to lifelong success.”
But it remains a persistent challenge for families to find affordable, high quality childcare.
“In recent years, Louisiana has worked diligently to create an integrated, efficient early childhood education system through policies that better serve our children and families,” State Superintendent John White said in a press release. “This award is a validation of the state’s approach and sets us up to take ambitious next steps.”
$7.1 million comes from a competitive federal Preschool Development Grant with an additional $800,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The state must spend the money by the end of 2019.
The LDOE laid out four primary points in their spending plan:
1. Equip communities to make informed decision to improve local early care and education;
2. Incorporate family homes into the statewide network of early childhood education providers;
3. Enhance the quality of early childhood education provided to young learners; and
4. Improve systems that inform the statewide network of early childhood education providers.
Sub grants totaling more than $3.75 million will be awarded to early childhood education networks.
“This grant will touch all corners of the state, including those communities most in-need of quality care, through professional development opportunities for educators, additional classroom resources, etc.,” according to the LDOE. “Underserved communities, especially, will benefit from the work we have planned with family homes,” said Dunn. “These settings have not previously been able to access any state supports, which is critical for areas that lack formal child care.”
Comprised of all publicly funded early childhood care and education providers in Orleans Parish, New Orleans Early Education Network is the state’s lead agency and point of contact between the Louisiana Department of Education and individual providers.
Roberts said the biggest challenges she sees in New Orleans are access to quality care, workforce and talent, and resources.
“Quality is really expensive,” Roberts acknowledged.
In New Orleans, there are about 1,400 children under the age of 3 receiving a publicly funded seat, she said. But there are over 7,000 children under 3 in the city who qualify as low income, she said. Meaning only 16 percent of low-income children are being served.
Just seven percent of low-income infants are being served through publicly funded seats, 17 percent of one-year-olds, and 23 percent of 2-year-olds.
Statewide, Louisiana currently serves nearly all 4-year-old children, but only seven percent of in-need children birth to age 2, and 33 percent of in-need children age 3. An additional 3,130 children remain on a waiting list for services.
As the grant stipulates, it cannot be used to finance new slots, “The receipt of this Preschool Development Grant award allows the state to apply for future grant dollars to expand access to fully funded seats in early learning centers, a critical need for Louisiana children and families,” according to the LDOE.
New Orleans, Roberts said, “is making headway in the right direction.”
The City Council recently voted to double the budget’s funding for early childhood development, allocating $1.5 million for child care providers to enroll infants up to 3 years old into daycare and other programs, and funding Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s new Office of Youth and Families.
“New Orleans is one of the only metros in the country making a public investment in children from birth to 2,” Roberts said. “That is incredibly rare and extremely important.”
When children are prepared to enter kindergarten both socio-emotionally and academically, they are more likely to succeed and thrive in school and in life.
When they aren’t prepared with skills – including being able to regulate emotions, and persevering through challenges – there can be adverse affects down the line, Roberts said. With the funding the state hopes to “drive faster rates of improvement and equip more classrooms with fully prepared teachers.”
However, “Given that these funds cannot be used for seats, and given that we are only serving 15 percent of our children in need from birth through age three, we look forward to future opportunities to increase the publicly funded seats for our hard-working families who desperately need access to reliable, affordable, quality care for their young children,” said Melanie Bronfin, executive director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children in the press release.
Underserved communities, according to the LDOE, “will benefit from the programs we will pilot to empower local leaders, who understand their unique communities, to identify their needs and support quality improvement.”
Roberts said she does hope the state will empower local communities to direct the money toward their greatest and unique needs, allowing “local folks to determine the use of funds based on what the community identifies as priorities.”
This article originally appeared in The Louisiana Weekly.
Activism
OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark
Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook
As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.
Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.
Our community is hurting. Things have to change.
The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.
Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.
Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.
I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.
SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.
For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.
This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.
Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.
Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.
About the Author
Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.
Activism
Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill
“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media
The House of Representatives unanimously passed the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act” on June 3, marking a major win for U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) in their bipartisan effort to promote inclusive hiring and boost small business accessibility.
The legislation establishes a federal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to help small businesses across the U.S. hire more individuals with disabilities and provide resources for disabled entrepreneurs.
“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities, making them accessible for all will maximize local economic activity and broaden the job market to everyone who is seeking to contribute to their communities,” she continued. “Investments in business and talent in our communities shouldn’t be limited to just those who are not disabled. Full stop, period.”
Since taking office in January 2025, Simon has introduced six bills. The House has approved two of them: this measure and the “Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act.”
Simon, a lifelong disability rights advocate and former BART board member, has focused her career on improving access, from public transit to the job market.
Activism
Over 500 Join Interfaith Rally in Solidarity with Los Angeles Resistance to Trump Invasion
Over 500 people attended the Tuesday evening rally in Oakland, which was held simultaneously with a prayer vigil in Los Angeles, where rabbis, pastors, Muslim faith leaders, and indigenous spiritual leaders gathered to pray and speak out about the federal government’s abuses of power.

By Post Staff
n response to last week’s “invasion” of Los Angeles by armed and masked federal agents, East Bay faith leaders and community members, joined by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, held an Interfaith vigil Tuesday evening at Oakland’s Fruitvale Plaza in support of Los Angeles residents and immigrant communities across the country.
Over 500 people attended the Tuesday evening rally in Oakland, which was held simultaneously with a prayer vigil in Los Angeles, where rabbis, pastors, Muslim faith leaders, and indigenous spiritual leaders gathered to pray and speak out about the federal government’s abuses of power.
Earlier on the same day, hundreds of protesters at San Francisco and Concord immigration courts shut down the courts after masked, plainclothes federal ICE agents detained people seeking asylum attending their court hearings.
“Too many families in Los Angeles torn apart by this invasion still do not have access to a lawyer — and that’s not an accident. We, the people, the community, are here to say, ‘Enough!’ We must keep organizing and demand that ICE and our government respect the rights of all people and uphold the principle of due process,” said Andrés Pomart with Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.
“We know that when we organize, we win. That’s why our communities – Black, Brown, and working-class – are coming together to support each other in solidarity. Together, as immigrant communities and as a united working class, we will not be divided nor intimidated nor live in fear,” Pomart said.
“Immigrant communities — yes, our immigrant communities — are the heartbeat of Oakland, enriching our neighborhoods with diverse cultures, languages and experience, and deserve the quality of life that every human being deserves. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. “Your city remains committed to protecting our immigrant neighbors,” said Mayor Lee.
“When Trump’s armed goons come for our families and communities, when they trample on our shared values of freedom and opportunity, when they make a mockery of our rights to due process, we are called to step up for our neighbors,” said Supervisor Bas. “This is not just an immigration story. It’s a story about who we are — and how we respond when our neighbors are under attack and when the president of the United States abuses his powers. When they come for one of us, they come for all of us.”
Said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, the Oakland teachers’ union president, “It is time for us to say, ‘Not in our city.’ We will stop, we will block, we will drive out ICE. We will protect our classrooms. We will protect our streets. We will protect our homes. Together, we rise for the dignity of our families and our right to live without fear.”
“I feel that the president and the current administration is grossly overstepping and abusing their power,” Rabbi Chai Levy, speaking to KQED. “I feel that, as a religious person, communities of faith need to show up and stand in solidarity with immigrants who are threatened and afraid. “It’s important to show up as people of conscience and morality and say that we’re against what our government is doing.”
The vigil was hosted by Bay Resistance, and co-sponsoring organizations included the Alameda Labor Council, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Faith in Action East Bay, Restore Oakland, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland Rising, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, SEIU Local 1021, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), SEIU United Service Workers West, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, Jobs with Justice San Francisco, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, Urban Peace Movement, and Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.
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