A new study by Leaders for a Better Louisiana says the Early Childhood Education Fund is in danger of running out of money by 2030. The fund was established in 2017 as a dollar-for-dollar match to local communities which raise money for early childhood education. It was seeded with a one-time appropriation of $40 million, with dedicated revenue streams added on later. But Better Louisiana Chief Policy Officer Barry Erwin says the fund is not keeping up with local contributions.
“They’ve been going and matching those dollars to that fund, and that’s great. The problem is, we don’t have enough sustaining revenue in the fund to keep it going,” Erwin said.
Erwin says as a result, unless the state finds a way to put more money into the Early Childhood Education Fund, it will eventually run dry.
“In two years, if we have some continued growth, to four years, even if we don’t grow it anymore, we’re going to be running out of the dollars needed to keep it sustainable.” Erwin warned.
Erwin says if that happens, fewer kids would be able to be served.
“It would also probably mean that local communities, that are really doing their part in stepping up to raise money for early childhood education, are going to quit doing that because they won’t have the state match to put all of the dollar value in there that they have right,” Erwin explained.
