The Louisiana Department of Education | The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) is committed to providing educators with the supports and resources they need to continue raising the bar for students in Louisiana in early childhood education. The Director Support Toolbox provides early childhood leaders with direct links to the tools and resources to accomplish this goal. 

The Director Support Toolbox features information regarding Licensed Centers, Instructional Leadership, Preparing Teachers, Publicly Funded Programs, State Incentives for Type III Programs, and Administrative Leadership. To learn more information, click the Learn More button. 

Bayou Life Magazine | Self-respect and self-confidence are not the same as self-esteem. They are components of self-esteem and are based on valuing yourself for who you are, but they are outward facing; whereas self-esteem is inward facing. Self-esteem concentrates on the value you give to your abilities and skills. Self-respect and self-confidence refer to the positive feelings that you have about yourself; you value who you are, you believe you can do something. Having self-respect and self-confidence are very important. It is a form of self-love, showing that you accept yourself for who you are, no matter what others say. If you are lacking self-respect and self-confidence, you can easily be ridiculed and put down by others. It is much more productive to take positive action based on having a healthy self-respect or self-confidence, regardless of your thoughts and feelings. Your actions also will help improve your self-esteem. 

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​MONROE, La. (KNOE) - State leaders made a stop in Northeast Louisiana on Wednesday to discuss educational needs in the area. They paid a visit to schools in Ouachita and Richland parishes.

Source: KNOEThey observed teacher-student interactions and discussed the state's early childhood performance system along with ways to expand access to affordable high-quality early childhood care.

Jessica Baghian, Asst. Superintendent of the Louisiana Dept. of Education said, "If we do not have affordable quality care, we're losing nearly a billion dollars a year in economic value for the state because employees cannot go to work and school in a reliable way. We know that without affordable care, families also cannot take that job or go to school to raise their families to better economic means."
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State Senator Jay Morris was also in attendance. He says improvements must be made in state funding in order for early childhood education to thrive.

The News Star | Without access to daycare, people could be forced to choose between holding a job or not. And if children don't have access to activities that help to enrich their minds, they can start school at a disadvantage.

Early childhood education looks to expand the idea of learning starting at kindergarten to a process that starts at birth and continues through the traditional K-12 environment.

These centers are so much more than babysitting. It's a way for children and their families to get the services they need for success in academics, in health and in life going forward.

On Thursday, Louisiana Department of Education Assistant Superintendent Jessica Baghian and state lawmakers toured the Early Head Start Center on Filhiol Avenue in Monroe. It was part of a tour highlighting successful early childhood programs across the state.
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The Children's Coalition of Northeast Louisiana runs five EHS facilities in Monroe and West Monroe. In total, they serve 132 children daily.

The Franklin Sun | More than 350 books, valued at $1,500, were delivered to Franklin Parish Library in December thanks to a grant from First Book Marketplace.
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Onie Parker, Franklin Parish Library director, in conjunction with Julie Emory, of the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana, wrote the grant for Talk, Read, Play Every Day in Franklin Parish, requesting new books for the six Little Free Libraries (LFL) throughout Franklin Parish.