Louisiana is improving oversight of and operational integrity within its Family Day Care Home Food Program to ensure compliance and strengthen program management.
The Opportunity
To protect from fraud and noncompliance, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has enhanced the policies and procedures around its Family Day Care Home Food Program. Recent transitions in the Office of State Fire Marshal’s data systems have also necessitated a new approach to validating essential fire safety and inspection documentation for family day care homes. The program currently includes 22 sponsor organizations and 4,500 family day care homes.
The Support
The Southwest Comprehensive Center is conducting a comprehensive review of current policies and procedures. The review includes process-mapping sessions with various interest holders to identify and mitigate any operational vulnerabilities. The team will also work with the State Fire Marshal’s office to develop and test a new, reliable validation procedure for safety reports.
Desired Outcomes
The project will equip LDOE with a prioritized, actionable plan to strengthen program administration and ensure all sponsoring organizations meet rigorous state and federal compliance requirements. These efforts will build sustainable agency capacity for ongoing oversight and position LDOE as a national leader in the effective management of child nutrition funds.