Tangipahoa Parish School System to Establish Unique 'Ready Start Network'

TANGIPAHOA, La., February 22, 2021 (Newswire.com) - The Tangipahoa Parish School system was awarded a grant to establish a unique "Ready Start Network" to pilot a state program to increase early childhood education access and improve quality. 

Tangipahoa Parish School System has received a grant from the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to pilot new strategies to increase access to and improve the quality of publicly funded early childhood care and education. It is one of 13 communities joining as a third cohort and one of 26 total communities to lead this work statewide.

The communities, called Ready Start Networks, will develop new local governance structures; assess local demand for early care and education; provide resources and training for teachers to improve classroom quality; implement fundraising strategies, and share their findings with state leaders to inform future policymaking. 

Due to this grant, Early Learning Tangipahoa rebranded to Ready Start Tangipahoa with the launch of their new website in the fall of 2020.

Ready Start Tangipahoa will do this by:
Equipping each classroom with quality, Tier I curriculum by May 2023.
Increasing overall CLASS scores in each classroom by .5 for veteran teachers and .2 for novice teachers by 2023.
Increasing parent accessibility, involvement, and awareness of resources in Tangipahoa Early Childhood by May 2023.
Expanding access and enrollment to early learning for children aged birth to three in quality centers by 20%, at the end of 2023.

All children deserve to start off life with every possible advantage. One of the best advantages children have is early childhood education.

"Ready Start Tangipahoa enables children, parents, and businesses to succeed," said  Early Childhood Coordinator Carmen Brabham M.Ed., NBCT. "Children benefit and grow by having consistent socialization and education. Parents have reliable childcare and can work or attend school while knowing their children are flourishing. Businesses have less employee absenteeism because their employees' children have dependable, quality childcare. It's a win for everyone in the community!"

To learn more about the Ready Start Networks, visit: louisianabelieves.com. To learn more about Ready Start Tangipahoa visit: readystarttangi.com.

Source: Ready Start Tangipahoa