Louisiana Early Childhood Teacher Oral History Project Reaches 100+ Interviews from Early Childhood Educators
September 09, 2025
BATON ROUGE, LA - In a recent National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) poll,
the state of Louisiana was home to more than 300,000 children ages birth to eight years old, creating a high demand for exceptional early care
and development facilities and teachers. While the increasing demand for early childcare
is being met with an increase in funding each fiscal year, the work of early childhood teachers remains challenging, stressful,
and under-compensated, and too often, discussions about early childhood education
lack the perspectives of the teachers themselves. 
Jennifer Baumgartner, PhD, an early childhood professor in the LSU Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education (SOE), recognized this gap and sought to amplify the voices of these dedicated educators. Through a partnership with LSU’s T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, Baumgartner launched the Louisiana Early Childhood Teacher Oral History Project (LECT OHP) where SOE undergraduate students collect stories and oral histories from Louisiana’s early childhood teachers.
“The Center is grateful for this continuing partnership with Dr. Baumgartner, her students, and the people who have shared their stories," Jennifer Abraham Cramer, T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History director, said. "These interviews will continue to expand our understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on early childhood educators in Louisiana, will help create a shared and preserved public history on this important topic, and will have the potential to aid in understanding teacher needs and responses in the wake of possible future crises.”
To date, more than 100 interviews with early childhood teachers who work with children from birth to third grade have been conducted, creating an incredible repository of knowledge for current and future teachers, policy makers and early childhood researchers.
“We are excited to have reached this milestone and are grateful to all of the teachers who have participated in this project so far," Baumgartner said. “We encourage you to listen to their stories and learn more about the important work that early childhood educators do.”
“Congratulations to Dr. Baumgartner for her commitment to this important project,” Laura Choate, EdD, Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education director, said. “By preserving the stories of early childhood teachers, we not only honor their dedication, but their voices also provide invaluable insight for preparing the next generation of educators and informing future policy in Louisiana and beyond.”
To find out more about the LECT Oral History Project, or to get involved, visit the Louisiana Early Childhood Teacher Oral History Project website.
About the LSU Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education
A school of the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education, the Lutrill & Pearl Payne
School of Education (SOE) offers undergraduate programs for students who want to pursue
a career as a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teacher or acquire dual certification
in both traditional elementary and special education classrooms. In addition, SOE
offers 3 graduate certificates, 17 master’s degree program areas, 9 EdS certificate
programs, and 2 PhD degrees in 11 areas of focus. SOE’s focus is not only on preparing
highly qualified teachers but also in preparing educational leaders, curriculum studies
scholars, educational technology experts, applied researchers, higher education professionals,
school counselors, and clinical mental health counselors. SOE specializes scholarly
expertise regarding pressing educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan.
Visit the LSU Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education.
About the College of Human Sciences & Education
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division
of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education,
the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership
& Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration
schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age
four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12.
The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute,
the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social
Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards
in teaching, research, and service and aims to improve quality of life across the
lifespan.
Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education website.