Center for Early Learning Excellence

To prepare young children for success and transform the future of the Greater Baton Rouge area by fostering and investing in a thriving early learning ecosystem that continually improves outcomes.

The Center for Early Learning Excellence (CELE) is a new non-profit organization that has been many years in the making. Baton Rouge has the opportunity to become a city where every child has the foundational experiences before kindergarten that ensure a strong start and help them thrive throughout their lives. The founding CEO of the Center for Early Learning Excellence will help make this happen. CELE’s mission is to prepare young children for success and transform the future of the Greater Baton Rouge area by fostering and investing in a thriving early learning ecosystem that continually improves outcomes.

The organization was created by a diverse group of community leaders, including families, providers, educators, advocates, philanthropists, and policymakers, following more than three years of planning and community engagement to identify opportunities to improve early childhood education and chart a path toward a stronger early childhood ecosystem.

The early years of a child’s life shape everything that comes after. Yet, in Baton Rouge, too many families face barriers when trying to access high-quality early care and education (ECE). Fragmented systems, inconsistent communication, limited investments, and limited capacity across 200+ providers make it hard for children, families, and early learning providers to thrive. Over 15,000 children under age five in East Baton Rouge parish do not have access to a high-quality early childhood education their families can afford. Assessments show half of children in the parish enter kindergarten not ready to learn. Meanwhile, available public funding programs and many high-quality early learning providers have long waiting lists. These challenges along with key organizations, assets, and opportunities have been documented with additional details in recent years by the East Baton Rouge Ready Start Network, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Founding Committee, the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, and others.

CELE will be the hub that connects early childhood programs, aligns funding and policy, builds shared infrastructure, and helps families access the childcare they need. The organization will work to:

• Strengthen understanding of the importance of ECE across the community;
• Grow investment in ECE to improve both access and quality;
• Increase the number of children who are prepared for kindergarten;
• Improve accessibility and coordinated enrollment for families to access ECE programs that work for them; and
• Better connect systems and institutions to support young children and their families.

The Center for Early Learning Excellence will lead the charge in transforming early care and education in Baton Rouge and building a sustainable, community-driven system that prioritizes families and children.