BATON ROUGE — A state push to make quality child care more affordable for about 15,000 low-income families takes effect this month.
State Superintendent of Education John White says the changes will trim weekly out-of-pocket expenses for most low-income families by 60 percent, liberalizes eligibility rules and will be financed through a federal grant.
The program is called the Child Care Assistance Program.
The Advocate reports it helps pay for the cost of child care for children from birth to 4 years old while parents are at work, school or in job training.
The new policy stems in part from a 2012 state law that is overhauling Louisiana’s child care system, which was often criticized as a costly, fragmented setup with uneven quality.
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the changes in August.