WASHINGTON - August 1 - Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, child care and early education resources are still severely lacking in New Orleans, according to a report released today by Save the Children and Mississippi State University.

According to the assessment, approximately 54 percent of neighborhoods in Orleans Parish have lost all licensed child care centers. The study also found that:

-- Only 52 of the 266 child care centers licensed and operating before Hurricane Katrina are open. More than half (56 percent) of the closed facilities are expected to remain shuttered;

-- Approximately one-third of the 30 Head Start or Early Head Start programs in the parish before the hurricane are providing services for children;

-- Four planning districts in the parish (the French Quarter, New Aurora/English Turn, Lower Ninth Ward and Venetian Isles) have no open elementary schools.

"Children and families need immediate help. Without access to child care facilities, many parents cannot rebuild their lives and return to work," said Mark Shriver, vice president and managing director of U.S. programs at Save the Children. "This report illustrates that child care is desperately needed in the New Orleans area for families, their children and their community."

Save the Children recommends that:

-- Recovery plans for Orleans Parish include support and assistance to child care facilities that are already open or are planning to reopen;

-- Federal, state and local funds be made available to help finance the restoration of child care facilities so that families can return to their communities and to work;

-- Child care facilities receive technical assistance and professional development designed to improve quality;

-- Planning for future disasters recognize that child care is a critical service and its restoration should be included in national disaster plans.

After last summer's hurricanes, Save the Children launched a variety of programs in Louisiana and Mississippi -- bringing decades of expertise to the region. Among its activities, Save the Children, in partnership with Mississippi State University and Chevron, has implemented a successful initiative to rebuild, restock and improve the quality of 33 licensed child care centers in Harrison County, Miss.

For more information about Save the Children or a summary of the report, visit http://www.savethechildren.org.

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