Early Childhood Options
Early Childhood Options
There are over 170 publicly-funded childcare centers, schools, and Head Start programs that work to provide quality early care and education to New Orleans’ 5,500 children ages 0-5 and their families. NOLA Public Schools, in coordination with NOEEN, offers a unified application process for publicly-funded early childhood seats, giving families a one-stop shop for applying for free child care and Pre-K.
There are several types of care that families can choose from:
- Early Learning Centers: These programs are licensed by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) to serve 7 or more children. Centers can be licensed as Type I, II, or III.
- Only Type III centers can accept Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) payments and other public funding streams. They also meet additional credentialing and observation requirements.
- Type I and II centers, which are not supported by NOEEN, only accept private pay; Type I centers are owned by religious organizations.
- Family Child Care Providers: These programs are located in a caregiver’s home and serve up to six children. Family Child Care programs that accept CCAP payments or Food program funding are registered. Academically Approved Family Child Care programs are sites the LDOE recognizes as meeting the same required academic and performance standards as Type III programs and therefore are eligible for services provided by Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
- Head Start and Early Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start are federally-funded programs offering free early learning and wrap-around support to low- and moderate- income families.
- School-Based Preschool Program: Many public and private schools offer preschool. Public programs may have eligibility requirements, including family income, giftedness or eligibility for special education services.
Public Funding for Orleans Parish
Early Learning Seats
City Seats – City Seats provides free, high-quality early childhood education to qualifying families in Orleans Parish with children ages 6 weeks through 3 years old in private childcare centers. Since 2018, Agenda for Children and the City of New Orleans have partnered to run City Seats. To qualify, a family must meet income requirements and live in Orleans parish. Learn more.
Child Care Assistance (CCAP) – The CCAP program provides support to families in accessing high quality child care, by offering financial assistance to low-income families while they are working or attending school. Families must be working or attending training or school for at least 20 hours a week. To learn more about whether you qualify for the CCAP program, please visit the LDOE Eligibility FAQs. Families can receive support from Agenda for Children for completing their application in either English or Spanish.
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP Birth-3) Seats – CCAP B-3 provides free, high-quality early childhood education to qualifying families in Orleans Parish with children ages 6 weeks through 3 years old in private childcare centers. To qualify, families must meet income requirements, live in Orleans Parish and be working, in school, and/or in a training program.
Early Childhood Education Fund (ECEF) Seats – Like CCAP B-3, ECEF provides free access to high quality early childhood education to qualifying families with children ages 6 weeks through 3 years old in private childcare centers. To qualify, families must meet income requirements, live in Orleans Parish and be working, in school, and/or in a training program.
Early Head Start /Head Start – Head Start is a Federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families through comprehensive preschool programming. Many Head Start programs also provide Early Head Start, which serves infants, toddlers, and pregnant women who have incomes below the federal poverty level. Head Start and Early Head Start programs serve children with identified disabilities, and eligible families with incomes over the poverty guidelines.
Cecil J. Picard Early Childhood Program (LA4) – LA4 is Louisiana’s main program for Pre-K and serves more than 1,200 children in New Orleans public schools. It provides six hours of Pre-K in public schools to four-year-olds from families that meet income requirements. Most LA4 programs in New Orleans require Orleans Parish residency, but a few (including Lycée Français) accept children from any parish in Louisiana.
Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development (NSECD) – NSECD is a Pre-K program that serves more than 370 three- and four-year-olds in New Orleans. Families must meet income requirements, but can live in any parish in Louisiana. NSECD offers at least 6 hours of Pre-K in state-approved private preschools and child care centers during the school year.
Special Education (IDEA) Funds – Preschoolers who are eligible for special education may qualify for free preschool in Orleans Parish, regardless of family income.
Tuition – Families can pay tuition to attend child care centers and should contact centers directly to learn about the enrollment process. Some public schools offer tuition-based seats in Pre-K for children whose families don’t meet income requirements for free seats. NOLA-PS manages the enrollment process for these seats.
Ages Supported by Funding Source
| Funding | Infants | Ones | Twos | Threes | Fours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Head Start | X | X | X | ||
| City Seats | X | X | X | X | |
| CCAP B-3 | X | X | X | X | |
| ECEF | X | X | X | X | |
| Head Start | X | X | |||
| NSECD | X | X | |||
| LA4 | X | ||||
| Children with Disabilities (IDEA) | X | X | |||
| Child Care Assistance (CCAP) | X | X | X | X | X |
| Tuition | X | X | X | X | X |
