Child Care Environmental Scanner
Orleans Parish as of October 16, 2009
Source Citation: Compiled by Agenda for Children based on records from the Louisiana Department of Social Services, Bureau of Licensing and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start. Available at www.gnocdc.org.
How to use this map:
- Drag the map with your mouse
- Double-click to zoom
- Click on a dot for more details
On the map: 155 licensed child care centers (including Head Start) as of October 16, 2009
Not on the map: family child care homes, in-home care, and many school-based pre-K programs.
View by:
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Small (up to 35)
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Medium (35-64)
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Large (65-99)
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Extra Large (100+)
What does licensed capacity show?
Licensed capacity indicates the size of a facility and may indicate the saturation of child care slots in an area. Based on square footage of the building and outdoor space, Louisiana DSS establishes a maximum number of children permitted at a center. However, not all centers operate at full capacity—they may be understaffed, unable to fill all slots, or prefer more space per child.
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Class A
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Class B
What's the difference between Class A and B centers?
Class A centers are eligible to receive government funds (such as Child Care Assistance), making them more accessible to low-income families. While class is not an indicator of quality, Class B regulations differ from Class A in some areas, including staff training, child/staff ratios, meals, and allowable forms of discipline.
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Head Start
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Early Head Start
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Combined
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None
What is Head Start and Early Head Start?
Head Start is a free, federally-funded child development program for low-income children. It provides educational and supportive services such as health, nutrition, and social services. Head Start programs serve preschoolers, while Early Head Start programs serve children ages 0-3 and pregnant women.
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Yes
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No
What counts as an infant and why don't all centers serve them?
Children under 12 months old are described as infants. Note that centers licensed to serve infants may not actually be doing so. Infant care can be cost-prohibitive to offer because lower child to staff ratios are necessary.
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Yes
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No
What are evening hours?
Any center that provides care after 9 p.m. is considered to offer evening hours. Some of them operate 24 hours a day.
Why are evening and weekend hours important?
Restaurant workers, casino employees, hospital staff, and musicians—just to name a few—all have evening and weekend hours. Because typical hours are 7:30am to 6pm, parents who work nontraditional schedules often face a more difficult search for child care.
Note, centers licensed as offering evening hours may not actually be doing so. Though there often appears to be a demand for after-hours care, some centers have found that they are unable to fill slots for their extended hours.
Does location matter for child care centers?
Proximity to home or work is one factor, especially for parents using public transportation. But parents also look for child care that is high-quality, safe, and affordable, and that meets their needs (e.g. infant care or evening hours).
Is it easier to open a child care center in parts of town with no centers?
It depends. Some neighborhoods with few centers may not need more because there aren't many children or places of employment. In contrast, neighborhoods with many centers may still need more. As a result, potential center owners need to learn as much as they can about a particular location.
Credits: Team Lead & Design: Joy Bonaguro; Content Expert: Teresa Falgoust; Editor: Denice Ross; Programmer: Matt Priour; GIS Consultant: James Fee.
