Twenty years in the Louisiana legislature, much of it spent serving on the Senate Education Committee, persuaded Cecil Picard that high-quality early education could make a critical difference in children's lives. So, in 1996, as the newly appointed state superintendent of education, Mr. Picard took the members of the state board of education on a retreat. On that trip, he told them that he had three major priorities as superintendent: "pre-k, pre-k, and pre-k."

Superintendent Picard believes in pre-k for all children, but in Louisiana, he says, the need is particularly great. "Ours is a very poor state," he admits, citing recent studies that rank Louisiana 49th in child welfare and indicate a three percent increase in the state's child poverty rate between 2000 and 2003, 12 percent above the national average. "So the news isn't good in many ways. If these kids aren't getting support at school or at home, they're not getting it at all. For them, starting kindergarten without pre-k is like starting ten yards behind in a 100-yard dash."

After clarifying his agenda to the school board, Superintendent Picard began talking pre-k to anyone who would listen. "I spoke to Kiwanis clubs, boards of education, other civic organizations, and the response was good. There was also support from most of the legislature and the governor's administration."

Despite the public enthusiasm for his message, Superintendent Picard acknowledges that not everyone agreed. Some in the state assembly felt that with K-12 already struggling, it was the wrong time to start a new program. Other members of the legislature, whom the superintendent describes as "a small group who made a lot of noise," insisted that young children should be at home with their parents. "But, of course," Superintendent Picard counters, "during the day, their parents aren't at home."

The superintendent also met resistance from some educators wary of new rules and regulations and of the poaching of funds from existing programs. "And," adds Superintendent Picard, "we were insisting on before and after care, so there really were a lot of demands being made on limited resources."

As a result of Superintendent Picard's efforts, in 2001, State Senator Bill Jones, introduced a bill to establish LA4, a high-quality, research-based, pre-k program for at-risk four year olds. After the measure was passed, they sought funding, and the governor responded with a proposal for $40 million in TANF funds.

In the first year, 11 Louisiana school districts volunteered to participate in the first year of the program. "Then eight more, then three more, and this year, with an additional $20 million in the governor's budget, we'll serve 41 of our 68 districts. That's 10,000 kids." And the results have been astounding. A study by the Lloyd J. Rockhold Center for Child Development and Craig Ramey of Georgetown University showed test-score improvements of 48% in language-skills and 40% in math between 2002 and 2003.

Superintendent Picard is very proud of the LA4 program, but he acknowledges that much work remains. Securing stable funding by convincing the government to include pre-k in the state's school funding formula is key to providing a high-quality, comprehensive early education program. Serving all Louisiana four year olds will cost an estimated $150 million.

The LA4 program also includes substantial support services, most notably healthcare and before- and after-school childcare. The expansion of these services and the addition of birth-to-three Head Start will require additional resources, which Superintendent Picard hopes can be allocated from Medicaid and other sources.

Successfully building LA4 will require a concerted political effort. Superintendent Picard relies on local advocates to ask legislators the tough questions and keep pressure on resisters. He's confident that opinions can be changed and goals can be met because, "In the end, though, when people see the results, they get on board."