This month schools and centers are opening their doors to children across the state. The start of the school year always marks an exciting time for early childhood. And, each year, teachers are called to greater ambitions for our youngest learners. Every child can learn and every child deserves to enter kindergarten ready.
As a result, since 2014, the City of Natchitoches Early Childhood Education & Development has assisted all Type III Childcare facilities within the Parish.
With all 10 facilities present, childcare lead teachers were updated on changes within childcare such as performance ratings, star ratings, student assessments, teacher observations and more. Every childcare facility in Natchitoches now uses Tier I curriculums in their infant, toddler and pre-k classrooms. All teachers are observed with the same observation tool as Head Start and public pre-k classrooms and uses the same student assessment program. Natchitoches Parish has been praised by the La. Dept. of Education for having a unified system and community that puts forth major efforts to ensure all children enter into kindergarten ready. These facilities serve over 300 students daily.
In addition, to ensure children have every resource available to help them succeed, Amy Metoyer, the Early Childhood Coordinator with the Early Childhood Education & Development program assists families with advice on childcare facility options and step-by-step guidance completing the online child care assistance applications. For more information on any childcare programs contact Metoyer at 318-238-7505.
