Arkansas “Better Chance”—A Success Story

First posted on 11-05-2007

An Arkansas success story that has been recognized nationally is our expansion of pre-kindergarten for children in poor families.

The first significant effort to create a statewide pre-K program occurred in 1991, when the legislature passed Act 212.

During this year’s regular session, the legislature and the governor made a tremendous commitment to the pre-kindergarten program known as Arkansas Better Chance (ABC). The legislature appropriated an additional $40 million a year to bring total annual ABC funding to $100 million.

The increase in ABC funding means that almost every eligible child in Arkansas can attend a pre-K program for free. This school year, an estimated 25,000 three and four-year-olds in Arkansas will take part in ABC learning programs.
Children are eligible if their family’s income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, the income threshold is $41,300 a year.

ABC programs have standards that are higher than those required of a licensed day care facility. Teachers follow a curricula that prepares children for kindergarten. They assess children’s development and screen for learning disabilities and physical problems. Parents must have proof that their children have been immunized.
Teachers must have qualifications in childhood development or early childhood education. The ratio of students to teachers are low, and state regulations require instruction for at least seven hours a day, for 178 days a year.

A study commissioned by Rutgers University noted improvements in Arkansas pre-kindergarten programs. Children who were in ABC programs did 37 percent better on their math skills and 31 percent better on vocabulary. Their language skills and reading awareness were far better than those of children who did not attend an ABC program.

This week, legislators on the Senate Committee on Education are scheduled to hear a report from the director of the state’s Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. The report will include results from longitudinal studies of children who have been in ABC programs.

ABC is administered and monitored by the state. A well known federal program, Head Start, is for children in families that earn only 100 percent of the poverty level.

Another well known effort is the HIPPY program, in which professional educators make regular visits to the homes of young children whose parents want to keep them at home.

The educators help parents and caregivers plan activities to prepare youngsters for kindergarten. Between 5,000 and 5,200 young children in Arkansas are in a HIPPY program.

Children who are eligible for Head Start and ABC often live with families that go in and out of poverty several times over the course of a year. When the state certifies that children are eligible because of their family’s income, that certification lasts for two years. Two-year certification avoids the disruption that would result if children were taken in and out of pre-school whenever their parents had a change in yearly income.

ABC encourages parental involvement and teaches parents how to help their children at home.