Evaluating the Mission and Methods of Success by 6 in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Abstract

This case study examines a non-profit organization’s response to catastrophic disaster. The United Way Women’s Leadership Council of Southeast Louisiana (WLC) worked towards improving quality childcare in the greater New Orleans area by assisting childcare centers in improving standards and achieving national accreditation. After Hurricane Katrina, most shelters housing childcare were destroyed, owners lacked the insurance to rebuild, and the city was stuck in a double-bind: even among centers with sufficient insurance to rebuild, centers were not assured that they would have enough clients who returned to the city to reopen and young families could not return to a city without adequate childcare. Using interviews with WLC members and outside sources documenting the problems with the rebuild after Katrina, this case discusses whether the Women’s Leadership Council should reframe its goals for the Success by 6 program in New Orleans or encourage the opening of more childcare centers, even those without accreditation.