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1. Who qualifies for the Shreveport Early Start Initiative?

• Must be a resident of Shreveport, La
• Families with non-school age children between ages 0 to 3 years 
• A resident of Shreveport, LA
• 100 percent of the participants’ incomes will be up to 300 percent of the poverty rate as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines below:

 

MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE INCOME LIMITS 300% of 2022 FEDERAL POVERTY INCOME GUIDELINES
Family Size	Monthly Income	Yearly Income
2	$4,578	$54,930
3	$5,758	$69,090
4	$6,938	$83,250
5	$8,118	$97,410
6	$9,298	$111,570
7	$10,478	$125,730
8	$11,658	$139,890
9	$12,838	$154,050

2. What is a Type III Early Learning Center Program?

Type III Centers are early learning centers that directly or indirectly receive state or federal funding to provide affordable childcare for low-income, hard-working Louisiana families. These services are available to qualifying families of infants, toddlers, and Pre-K children. 

 Type III Child Care Centers are: 

• State Licensed
• First Aid/CPR Certified
• Health and Safety standards required by State Licensing
• Annual Health Department Inspection
• Annual Fire Marshall Inspection
• Academic Approval is required by the Louisiana Department of Education
• Lead Teachers must obtain a CDA within 24 months
• Tier 1 Curriculum used in all classrooms
• CLASS Observations conducted in all classrooms

 You can find out more information by visiting www.caddosmartstart.com to find resources and information on the Centers participating in the scholarships.

3. How will you choose who is selected for the Shreveport Early Start Initiative?

The Caddo Parish Public Schools will select the participants through an application process.

4. How long will the program run?

The Shreveport Early Start Initiative will run for 36 months depending on the age of entry.

5. How is the Shreveport Early Start Initiative being paid for?

The City of Shreveport is using 2,800,000.00 from its general government operating reserves for the Caddo Parish Ready Start Network for Scholarships.

6. Can the Shreveport Early Start Initiative influence other children benefits?

Funding can be layered with other funding sources.

7. If I am unemployed, do I qualify for the Shreveport Early Start Program?

If you are unemployed, you must be registered in the HIRE system with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

8. Can I contact someone by phone to get more information?

Yes, you can call Johnetta Dotson with Caddo Parish Public Schools at 318-603-6468.