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DeSoto Ready Start

2023 - 2024 Blueprint

The DeSoto Ready Start Network is a small rural early childhood network in northwest Louisiana. The network is rated as "High Proficient'' within the early childhood rating system. In the 2023/2024 school year, 460 children, ages birth to five, are being served in the community. 100% of our sites use a Tier 1 curriculum. The Network has made steady growth on the district performance profiles over the last five years, increasing to a 'High Proficient" rating for the network. Currently, one site is rated 'Excellent', four are rated 'High Proficient,' three are proficient and two have no rating yet.

Our Vision

All DeSoto Parish children, birth through age five, are afforded opportunities to achieve maximum pre-kindergarten and kindergarten readiness skills. These children should also be provided equitable access to physical, emotional and high quality educational support they will need to enter school ready to succeed.

DeSoto Ready Start Goals

Goal 1

Equip and empower families to increase social, motor, brain and vocabulary development by providing educational materials, books, and hands-on activities

Goal 2

By year 2025, increase the number of children, ages birth to four, in quality centers by 25%, using 2022 numbers as a guide.

Goal 3

By 2025, the quality of early care and education in the network will improve by increasing the number of "high proficient" or "excellent" centers.

Strategic Plan

Please select the green plus circles in each section to learn more about each goal.

Goal 1:

Equip and empower families to increase social, motor, brain and vocabulary development by providing educational materials, books, and hands-on activities.

  • Provide opportunities within each community for parents to learn the best practices for working with their children with educational materials for parents to check out.
  • Publish videos on our website to highlight strategies that parents can use with their children.
  • Provide parent training that educates parents on developmental milestones, how to recognize deficits and how to advocate for their child.


Existing Resources

DeSoto Ready Start website, DeSoto Ready Start bus, partnership with Fundamental Pediatric Therapy who will provide developmental videos for the website.


Needed Resources

Training platform for parents, partner with local libraries to provide information to parents.

Goal 2:

By year 2025, increase the number of children, ages birth to four, in quality centers by 25%, using 2022 numbers as a guide.



  • Advertise for Type III childcare centers in the parish. Assist in finding teachers for those centers.
  • Encourage Family Child Care centers to seek Academic Approval.
  • Assist in opening a Type III Childcare center in Logansport where there is no available care for children, birth to three.



Existing Resources


DeSoto Parish currently has 3 Type III child care centers and one Head Start program operated under the direction of Save The Children The DeSoto Parish School System has a universal four-year old program. We have a Type III Pre-k 3 class at Logansport High School and at Mansfield Elementary. We currently serve 460 children.


Needed Resources


Teachers are needed for centers to expand. A Type III center in the Logansport area to provide care for children, birth to three.


Preformance Metrics


Track center/school enrollment to see if there is an increase in enrollment.

Goal 3:

By 2025, the quality of early care and education in the network will improve by increasing the number of "high proficient" or "excellent" centers.



  • Continued job embedded coaching provided weekly.
  • Professional Development on curriculum provided to Type III centers by vendors.
  • Professional Development on CLASS through online Teachstone modules and MMCI for new teachers.
  • Secure materials and resources needed to help teachers and staff promote high quality experiences for children.
  • Provide accurate intervention support using an itinerant early childhood interventionist across the early childhood network.



Existing Resources


MMCI training has been provided to all early childhood centers in the parish. Weekly job-embedded professional development clusters are scheduled weekly at all the PK sites. The Type III centers have received professional development from Northwestern State University.


Needed Resources


MMCI training is needed for new teachers. The Type III centers and Head Start have higher turnover. There is a need to find and develop employees for these centers.


Preformance Metrics


Track CLASS scores for improvement in the Instructional Support Domain.