The Department of Education announces beginning July 1 all new applicants for the state’s Childcare Assistance Program will be placed on a wait list. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 1 (31) “I’m Michelle Southern”
______________________________________
Heavy rainfall is expected across Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Cindy moves towards the southwestern Louisiana coast. Jeff Palermo has more…
______________________________________
As demand for state childcare assistance rises, the Department of Education announces beginning July 1, new applicants will be placed on a waiting list. Assistant superintendent of early childhood development Jenna Conway says the federally funded Childcare Assistance Program offers subsidies for working families to choose a childcare provider.
Conway says 18-thousand Louisiana children ages birth to five participate in the program. The program grew exponentially when DOE lowered the work threshold for families to qualify, from 30 to 20 hours a week. She adds as more people go to work, they will need consistent childcare.
Cut 4 (10) “dramatically increased”
Conway says unfortunately, the program is underfunded to sustain this kind of growth, which is why the date-based waitlist is necessary. She says applications will be processed until June 30 and encourages families to apply now.
For more information on the program, visit LouisianaBelieves.com.
________________________________________________
Tropical Storm Cindy could drop a foot of rain in southeast Louisiana. State climatologist Barry Keim says the system is expected to make landfall as a tropical storm near the Texas-Louisiana border late Wednesday or early Thursday morning, but the largest rain totals will occur to the east of the storm’s center.
Flash flood watches are in effect across south Louisiana through Thursday evening. Keim says storm surge could be an issue in coastal areas, and it’s possible a tornado could form. But he says rain and potential flash flooding will be the biggest problems.
Keim says the heaviest rains are expected in southeast Louisiana, but the entire coast is vulnerable. He says that’s because the major rainfall associated with this system is far removed from the center of circulation.
_________________________________________________________
Lafourche Parish is gearing up for Tropical Storm Cindy that is set to hammer southeast Louisiana with rain. Brennan Matherne with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office says the parish is continuing to pump down drainage canals and sandbags are available at all parish field office locations.
Matherne says Port Fourchon Harbor Police will be monitoring LA-1 throughout the system checking for storm surge. He urges residents who flood during heavy rain events to take precautions.
St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister is also getting her residents prepared for the heavy rain event. Brister says the parish does not have many drainage pumps and heavily relies on gravity drainage, so they are taking precautions.
Brister says the National Weather Service has told her office St. Tammany could receive 10 inches of rain over the next couple of days. She says river flooding and street flooding are their two biggest concerns.
_________________________________________________________
Public schools will no longer be permitted to physically punish children with developmental disabilities after a measure was signed into law by Governor Edwards. Senate Education Chairman Blade Morrish says there weren’t any school districts that pushed back against this legislation.
38 of the 69 public school districts in Louisiana permit corporal punishment, like paddling or spanking. Morrish says this allows the administration to take a step back and realize certain students are not allowed to receive corporal punishments.
There was also a push during the legislative session to ban corporal punishment in public schools for all students. Morrish says that bill never made it to his committee but he’s interested in hearing more about it.
____________________________________________________________