BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposed executive budget maintains millions of dollars for early childhood education, but advocates say the funding may not be enough to meet the growing needs of families across Louisiana.

Landry’s budget keeps nearly $79 million allocated for early childhood education, the same amount approved by lawmakers last year. Supporters of early learning say they’re grateful the funding wasn’t cut, but warn that holding steady still leaves significant gaps.

“The first 1,120 days of a child’s life are most formative,” said Cindy Bishop, executive director of the Child Care Association of Louisiana.

Bishop says about 90 percent of brain development happens before a child turns three, and missing that critical window can have long-term consequences.

“You’re going to pay for it through truancy, juvenile crime, things like that down the line,” Bishop said.

Despite the continued funding, thousands of Louisiana families remain on waiting lists for assistance. About 7,000 children are currently waiting for help through the Child Care Assistance Program, which helps working parents and students afford childcare.

“Still leaves us with a 95 percent deficit for the children who are sitting on waitlists right now,” said Dafnee Chatman with the Save the Children Action Network.

Advocates say the budget shows early childhood education is on the state’s radar, but accessibility remains a concern.

“We’re not at the top, and that’s my biggest concern, is that we’re not at the top when it comes to accessibility for early childhood education programs,” Chatman said.

At the same time, Louisiana is seeing progress in early literacy. Last school year, students from kindergarten through third grade improved 17 percentage points, with 64 percent reading at or above grade level by the end of the year.

State education leaders say those gains show current strategies are working, but only if early learning systems remain strong.

“The good news is that we’re showing real momentum in early reading, if we can just stay on track and continue that progress,” Bishop said.

Early childhood advocates plan to ask lawmakers to add $9 million for early childhood education during the upcoming legislative session.