The Orleans Parish school board and the state-run Recovery School District in New Orleans have announced plans to open an Early Childhood and Family Learning Center at an elementary school in the storm-battered city.
The center would include programs such as child care, preschool, teacher training, adult-literacy instruction, and health services.
Representatives from Head Start, the city health department, the Children’s Museum, and other agencies and organizations participated in an event last week to show their support for such a facility. They said they would work to raise funds for the project, which would be housed at Mahalia Jackson Elementary School. The school suffered significant damage from Hurricane Katrina and will require millions of dollars in repairs.
“There is nowhere else right now where parents can bring their children to receive the full range of services and support they need,” said Phyllis Landrieu, the school board president. (“Katrina’s Impact on Pre-K Programs Lingers,” Sept. 6, 2006.)
