Child Count
Child Count
Child Count is the twice-annual census of every NOEEN program. It is mandated by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) and counts all children by funding source (i.e. Head Start, CCAP, Tuition, etc.) and key demographics (e.g. ESL/ELL status, racial/ethnic identity). There are a variety of publicly-funded seats in Louisiana; please reference this guide from the LDOE for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of Child Count?
Child Count was established in Bulletin 140, which requires community network lead agencies and publicly-funded early childhood sites to work together to submit a count of all children twice a year. Child Count provides a snapshot of how many children are being served by which funding stream, and how many are eligible for special education, are homeless, are in foster care, and/or are dual language learners. Child Count is a key tool for understanding access to early care and education and is used locally by NOEEN as well as by the LDOE to assess community need for ECE, helping inform seat allocation processes and capacity building efforts. It also provides data on tracking funding and access progress over time.
How is Child Count conducted?
Child Count is conducted via a survey shared via email twice during the program year, once in October and once the following February.
What is the timeline?
- September 30: Children’s ages on September 30th are what is used for the entire academic year for reporting purposes
- October 1: Enrollment on this date will be used to complete survey for Fall Child Count
- Early October: Fall Child Count Responses Due
- February 1: Enrollment on this date will be used to complete the survey for the Spring Child Count
- Early February: Spring Child Count Responses Due
What information is required?
Leaders need to collect and report the number of children enrolled by age group, disability status, funding stream, race/ethnicity, and whether children are homeless, in foster care, English Language Learners, and/or gifted. This chart indicates which age groups are funded by each source. Only full-time children are included in the Child Count.
What else do I need to know about Child Count?
- A survey link will be emailed to sites. Typically, respondents have 7 days from the survey launch to respond. Sites will receive a confirmation email. Please note: if a confirmation is not received, the submission was not successful.
- Additional information resources, including information about how to determine the funding source, the child’s age, and common errors can be found here.
- Questions, comments, and concerns should be directed to: childcount@agendaforchildren.org.
