Jefferson Business Council to Participate in Louisiana's Early Childhood Business Roundtable
The Jefferson Business Council, an organization of 55 major Jefferson Parish business owners and chief executives, will be participating in the Louisiana Early Childhood Business Roundtable. The Roundtable was initiated by the Committee of 100, whose executive director is former Louisiana State Secretary of Economic Development Michael Olivier, and the Policy Institute For Children, whose executive director is Melanie Bronfin.
The central goal of the roundtable is to gather business leaders in supporting quality early childhood care and education. Louisiana’s single most important economic asset is its people and its economic prosperity depends upon the caliber of those people. Early Care and Education is both a workforce productivity and workforce development issue.
Dr. James J. Heckman, the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, a Noble Laureate in Economics and an expert in the economics of human development has published the “Heckman Equation.” Dr. Heckman refers to findings that early childhood development drives success in school and life by building a foundation for cognitive and character skills. He urges that investing in early childhood education is a cost-effective strategy for promoting economic growth.
Chairman of the Jefferson Business Council, William Aaron, stated, “We look forward to joining and actively working with other participants in supporting high quality early care and education in Louisiana. Our organization places the highest priority on providing children with the tools needed to succeed. This is an initiative which will eventually lead to a better educated population that will strengthen Louisiana’s economy and also lower the rate of anti-social activity caused by lack of quality education.”
CONTACT TONY LIGI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JEFFERSON BUSINESS COUNCIL 504-289-3023