State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Louisiana

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Louisiana could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $37,896 (207 percent of poverty, 73 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Louisiana had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $77 per month, or 5 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $154 per month, or 7 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Louisiana’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.¹ 
o    Louisiana’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old was $91, or 19 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Louisiana’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old was $113, or 22 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Louisiana paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.²
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old at the highest quality tier was 20 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old at the highest quality tier was still below the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Louisiana did not allow parents to receive child care assistance while searching for a job.³ 

¹Reimbursement rates for care or infants, toddlers, and children ages three and over in centers, family child care, and in-home care are below the 75th percentile of market rates. Reimbursement rates for children ages three and over in school-based programs are above the 75th percentile.
²Bonuses for higher-quality care are paid quarterly.
³The state’s previous policy, in effect until January 2010, allowed parents to receive child care assistance for up to 4 months while searching for a job.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.