BATON ROUGE — Early Childhood Education Month is a time to recognize how critical the earliest years of life are to a child's future success and to the future of our communities. 

CEO of Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, Dr. Libbie Sonnier, said her institution is dedicated to strengthening early childcare in education systems across the state, ensuring that children and the adults who support them have what they need to thrive.

The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children aims to be a go-to resource for research and data on policies that impact children from birth to age 4.

"We want to make sure that children have the ability to learn giving back, reciprocity, and learning language," Dr. Sonnier said. "Also, thinking skills, how to be good citizens and really how to be good students throughout their long life." 

Dr. Sonnier stressed that it's important for families to have access to quality early childhood education.

"We know the early childhood education is the economic backbone of our state. The most expensive children to care for are infants and toddlers. It really makes finding access to quality childcare really hard for families."

She explained that early childhood educators aren't simply babysitters. They are brain architects who help mold a child's brain by teaching them skills that are crucial for future education.

According to Dr. Sonnier, early educators are often underpaid, making, on average, about $10 an hour. 

However, over the last several years, there has been an increase in state investment.

"Just eight years ago, we had no state dollars going into our child care assistance program. We now have $78 million."

As part of Louisiana Early Education Month, the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children is offering a parent advocacy training program on Feb. 19, allowing parents to log in virtually to learn about how they can advocate for issues concerning young children.