Fix Louisiana’s Summer Camp Law for Working Families
Fix Louisiana’s Summer Camp Law for Working Families
The Issue
Every spring, Louisiana families plan for summer with one basic assumption: that their young children will have safe, reliable care while parents work. This year, that assumption has been shattered for hundreds of families across New Orleans and beyond.
Because of how Louisiana law is written and interpreted, many school-based summer camps are now turning away children under age 5. Families who relied on these programs for years are suddenly scrambling, just months before summer begins, with no realistic alternatives. Parents are being told to find full-time care that doesn’t exist, costs far more than they can afford, or requires quitting their jobs altogether.
The current law creates an all-or-nothing choice: either camps undergo full day care licensing designed for year-round preschools, or they stop serving younger children entirely. Faced with that burden, many camps have chosen to exclude 3- and 4-year-olds — not because families don’t need care, but because the law gives them no workable middle ground.
The result is fewer child care options, more stress on working parents, and greater pressure on an already fragile child care system.
Families are not asking lawmakers to weaken protections for children. We are asking for common-sense reform that reflects how summer camps actually operate and how modern families live. Louisiana should be expanding access to child care, not unintentionally eliminating it through outdated definitions and regulatory mismatches.
We urge the Louisiana Legislature — particularly the House and Senate Education Committees and Governor Jeff Landry — to amend state law before summer begins. Lawmakers can clarify that school-based summer camps serving younger children may operate under reasonable, age-appropriate safety standards without being treated as full-time day care centers.
Parents need to work. Children deserve safe, enriching summers. Camps want to serve their communities. Louisiana law should not stand in the way of all three.
It’s time to fix this — for families, for children, and for a state that depends on working parents.
6
The Issue
Every spring, Louisiana families plan for summer with one basic assumption: that their young children will have safe, reliable care while parents work. This year, that assumption has been shattered for hundreds of families across New Orleans and beyond.
Because of how Louisiana law is written and interpreted, many school-based summer camps are now turning away children under age 5. Families who relied on these programs for years are suddenly scrambling, just months before summer begins, with no realistic alternatives. Parents are being told to find full-time care that doesn’t exist, costs far more than they can afford, or requires quitting their jobs altogether.
The current law creates an all-or-nothing choice: either camps undergo full day care licensing designed for year-round preschools, or they stop serving younger children entirely. Faced with that burden, many camps have chosen to exclude 3- and 4-year-olds — not because families don’t need care, but because the law gives them no workable middle ground.
The result is fewer child care options, more stress on working parents, and greater pressure on an already fragile child care system.
Families are not asking lawmakers to weaken protections for children. We are asking for common-sense reform that reflects how summer camps actually operate and how modern families live. Louisiana should be expanding access to child care, not unintentionally eliminating it through outdated definitions and regulatory mismatches.
We urge the Louisiana Legislature — particularly the House and Senate Education Committees and Governor Jeff Landry — to amend state law before summer begins. Lawmakers can clarify that school-based summer camps serving younger children may operate under reasonable, age-appropriate safety standards without being treated as full-time day care centers.
Parents need to work. Children deserve safe, enriching summers. Camps want to serve their communities. Louisiana law should not stand in the way of all three.
It’s time to fix this — for families, for children, and for a state that depends on working parents.
6
The Decision Makers
Petition created on February 2, 2026