Laeca Information

The Association was a non profit, self supporting organization drawing its membership from the ranks of individuals in thirteen states who were working with or who were interested in the welfare of young children. This original membership was mainly Home Economics teachers, who were the original kindergarten certified teachers. They saw the need for better child care as the number of mothers who worked outside the homes increased. During the 1965 SACUS Conference at Little Rock, Arkansas, members for Louisiana assembled and made plans for a state organization. This organization was to be called Louisiana Association on Children Under Six (LACUS). A committee was formed and with the leadership of Marlene Wright Comeaux and a fall conference was planned. Attendance for the first LACUS meeting in Alexandria, Louisiana reached the three hundred mark. During the Fourth annual conference, the Executive Board evaluated the membership and realized the LACUS membership was concentrated in South Louisiana. The Executive Board members recommended that the annual conference of LACUS be held in various locations around the state each year to encourage membership throughout the state. Additionally in 1971 LACUS was divided into six districts which helped the organization to further meet the needs of its membership. In 1974 the Lil and Roy Murphy Scholarship was established. This scholarship was established to award an outstanding undergraduate student in Child Development or Early Childhood Education, or a related field. In honor of a former Executive Board member and a SACUS past president, the LACUS Mildred Souther Award was established in 1975. Ms. Souther was a professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and was a true advocate for young children. She expected anyone who was to have any impact on children should be of the highest integrity. This award was to be presented to an outstanding worker for preschool children and was to be awarded annually. With the passing of Almanda Anderson, a former Executive ...