BATON ROUGE, LA — Early childhood education is the foundation for Louisiana’s future. It’s been proven time and again: when we invest in quality programs for children from birth to age five, we don’t just prepare kids for school — we strengthen families, enable parents to stay in the workforce, and grow Louisiana’s economy.
The best part is that Louisiana already has an effective tool to make this vision a reality: the Louisiana School Readiness Tax Credit for businesses. It’s a state incentive that allows Louisiana businesses to invest in Louisiana’s children with a gift that PAYS THEM BACK. Here’s how it works: Businesses with a Louisiana Tax ID can receive a 100% refundable, dollar-for-dollar state credit of up to $5,000 annually for donations to the state designated Child Care Resource and Referral agency (CCR&R) in their parish. In 23 parishes throughout Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Alexandria, Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana (VOASCLA) serves as this agency, allowing businesses to direct their donations to support early childhood education directly in their local community and reclaim the investment on their taxes.
Through its extensive early childhood program, Partnerships in Child Care, VOASCLA provides services and support to more than 400 child care centers, preschools, and family home providers. The goal is to enhance the quality of early childhood education and prepare children with the skills they need to enter kindergarten successfully by providing teacher education and resources, nurturing children’s physical, social, and cognitive development, and referring parents to quality care.
This is truly a win-win. Businesses can invest confidently in their communities, parents gain the support they need to work and provide, and our youngest citizens get the strong start they deserve.
For more information on the Louisiana School Readiness Tax Credit program, go to www.voascla.org/srtc or contact Jeanne Burns Dempster at jeanne.burns@voascla.org or (225) 408-3796 to schedule an interview.
