General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Arkansas Better Chance/Arkansas Better Chance for School Success

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Arkansas Department of Education; Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education

Availability of program:
230 out of 237 school districts (97%)

Are districts, counties, or towns in Arkansas required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
Required for some1

Hours of operation per day:
School day, 7 instructional hours/day

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No4

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
20,023

Fall 2011, by age:
439 under age 3; 4,898 3-year-olds; 12,586 4-year-olds; 2,100 5-year-olds2

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 14,398; Nonpublic schools, 5,6253

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
School day, 20,023

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
3 by August 1

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 by August 1

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by August 1

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
Yes5

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Children may not enroll in pre-K if they are age-eligible for kindergarten;5

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
Eligibility is determined by individual child or family characteristics in addition to age6

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
200% FPL6

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?
90% of the children served.

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
Yes6

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
No

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Child disability or developmental delay; Low parental education level; History of abuse, neglect, or family violence; Homelessness or unstable housing; Non-English speaking family members; Parental substance abuse; Risk that child will not be ready for kindergarten; Teen parent; Low birth weight or other child health risk; Child history of foster care; Other state-specified risk factors: Parent is activated for overseas military duty.6

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
16

How do these risk factors relate to the income cutoff for the state pre-K program?
Not applicable

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
3- and 4-year-olds, 20

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, 1 to 10

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA in ECE or CD (one classroom per center) & AA in ECE or CD (other classrooms) (public and nonpublic)7

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: P-4 (Pre K through 4); Nonpublic: BA in EC or CD (Pre K)7

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
HSD, 1%; CDA, 3%; AA, 11%; BA, 65%; MA, 17%; Other, 3%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
HSD, 9; CDA, 39; AA, 122; BA, 727; MA, 196; Other, 328

Teacher in-service requirement:
30 clock hours per year9

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
CDA (public and nonpublic)

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
Public and nonpublic: CDA

Services

Meal requirement:
Breakfast; Lunch; Snack

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; Professional development or coaching is provided for teachers; Programs are required to screen and assess all children; A home language survey is sent home at the beginning of the school year; Information must be presented to parents in their primary language; Translators or bilingual staff are available if children do not speak English

Support services required for all programs:
Parenting support or training; Parent involvement activities; Child health services; Nutrition information; Referral for social services; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Arkansas Early Childhood Education Framework

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://www.arkansas.gov/childcare/programsupport/pdf/aeceframwork.pdf

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
5 days per week

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$111,000,000

All funding sources:
State, $103,500,000; Federal, $7,500,00010

State funding sources and amounts:
General Revenue, $103,500,000

Federal funding sources and amounts:
TANF, $7,500,000

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
No

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Family CC, Other settings: Home Visiting Providers11

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Family CC

Is there a required local match for this program?
Yes10

Select a state program to view details.


Arkansas Footnotes

  1. School districts classified as being in academic distress, appearing on the school improvement list, or where more than 75 percent of fourth graders score below proficient on benchmark exams are required to establish an ABC/ABCSS pre-K program.
  2. The enrollment total does not include 3918 children who received ABC home-visiting services only during the 2013-2014 program year. There were 1260 children who are dually served in center based and home visiting. The 1260 were included in the center based numbers in Q5a.
  3. The Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education has administrative responsibility for all ABC programs through an interagency agreement with the Arkansas Department of Education.
  4. Programs may apply for Child Care Development Funds (CCDF) to assist with before and after school care provided the children meet the requirements of eligibility for CCDF. CCDF will also fund ABC summer school to provide an extended year for those programs interested in providing these services.
  5. Agencies with ABC funding (vs. ABCSS) can serve children from birth-5 years of age who meet specific special needs criteria. ABCSS agencies may opt to serve children who are kindergarten-eligible with special needs although a waiver must be obtained.
  6. Children eligible to participate in an ABC program shall have at least one of the following characteristics: family with gross income not exceeding 200 percent FPL; a parent without a high school diploma or GED; low birth weight (below 5 pounds, 9 ounces); parent who was under 18 years of age at child’s birth; immediate family member with a history of substance abuse; a demonstrable developmental delay identified through screening; eligible for services under IDEA; income eligible for Title I programs; limited English proficiency; or a parent who has a history of abuse or neglect or is a victim of abuse or neglect. To be eligible to participate in the ABCSS program, the family must have a gross income not exceeding 200 percent FPL and be age-eligible. Both programs may also serve children who meet the following criteria: meet the state’s homeless criteria; are in foster care; with an incarcerated parent; with a parent activated for overseas military duty; or with an immediate family member arrested for or convicted of drug related offenses. A sliding scale applies to families with incomes between 200 and 250 % of FPL
  7. The lead teacher in a public school shall hold a standard Arkansas teacher license with P-4 certification. The lead teacher in a nonpublic school based program must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or child development. For all programs with multiple classrooms at a single location, the teacher of the second classroom shall hold, at a minimum, an associate degree in early childhood education or early childhood development. State policy does allow programs to hire staff under an approved staff qualifications plan while completing coursework to meet obtain minimum credentialing.
  8. To meet NIEER’s definition of lead teacher, the educational level data above represents all classroom teachers. Data in the other category represents teachers entered into the data system with no designation entered, which is currently being updated.
  9. Licensed teachers must obtain 60 clock hours of professional development annually; all other ABC teachers are required to obtain 30 clock hours per program year.
  10. All participating public and nonpublic providers must provide a 40 percent match. The match can comprise in-kind or monetary support.
  11. All licensed providers and home-visiting agencies that meet eligibility requirements are eligible to apply for funding.