HLS 18RS-1142 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 16
BY REPRESENTATIVE LEGER
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Recognizes March 26, 2018, as United Way Women
United Day at the state capitol and commends Women United for its dedication to
the advancement of early childhood care and education
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To recognize Monday, March 26, 2018, as United Way Women United Day at the state
3 capitol and to commend Women United for its support of early childhood care and
4 education in Louisiana.
5 WHEREAS, the Child Care Assistance Program, or CCAP, is the only state
6administered early childhood care and education program for children under age four; and
7 WHEREAS, in recent years, Louisiana has dramatically cut funding for the CCPA
8such that the program has gone from serving almost 40,000 children in 2009 to serving
917,000 today; and
10 WHEREAS, Louisiana spends less than one-half of one percent of its state general
11funds on early childhood care and education, and only fifteen percent of eligible children
12under age four can access a publicly funded early childhood care and education program in
13Louisiana; and
14 WHEREAS, lack of child care has been shown to have a substantial impact on
15workforce participation and productivity in the state, causing more than sixteen percent of
16parents of young children to quit their jobs, almost fourteen percent to turn down a
17promotion, and more than seven percent to be fired; and
18 WHEREAS, because ninety percent of brain development happens between birth and
19age four, children who do not begin school during these years generally lag behind their
20peers; and
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HCR NO. 16
1 WHEREAS, Women United and its network of business and community leaders have
2led efforts to begin to address these great challenges and have invested more than $2.4
3million to remedy these problems at the local level; and
4 WHEREAS, Women United's volunteers have invested tens of thousands of hours
5to address the most critical issues facing women and children in Louisiana; and
6 WHEREAS, Women United became the first women's organization in the nation to
7launch Success By Six, an early childhood development program that has helped to elevate
8a number of child care centers to nationally-accredited centers of excellence; and
9 WHEREAS, United Way Worldwide has recognized Women United as one of the
10top three women's initiatives in the nation for program innovation; and
11 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Education has identified Women United
12as a partner in its efforts to expand access to quality early childhood care and education to
13all children; and
14 WHEREAS, Women United assisted in the establishment of the Louisiana Early
15Childhood Care and Education Network, which has helped to unify the state's early
16childhood education programs and has helped families to identify quality childcare
17providers; and
18 WHEREAS, Women United's investments in the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
19reflects its commitment to ensuring that all children can read at grade level by the end of
20third grade; and
21 WHEREAS, Women United's advocacy efforts helped create the Louisiana Early
22Childhood Education Fund and also helped to save Louisiana families millions of dollars by
23helping to preserve and increase the School Readiness Tax Credit; and
24 WHEREAS, countless private-public partnerships organized by Women United have
25been responsible for millions of dollars invested in helping children succeed in school; and
26 WHEREAS, on March 26, Women United will visit the state capitol as part of the
27Ready Louisiana Coalition to support public investment in Louisiana's children.
28 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
29recognize March 26, 2018, as United Way Women United Day at the state capitol and does
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HCR NO. 16
1hereby commend Women United for fifteen years of dedication to the advancement of early
2childhood care and education in the state of Louisiana.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
4to the president of Women United.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 16 Original 2018 Regular Session Leger
Recognizes Mar. 26, 2018, as United Way Women United Day at the state capitol and
commends Women United for its support of early childhood care and education.
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