A New Approach to Supporting the Quality of Early Care and Education Programs in Arkansas: Case Studies of Array

A recently launched professional development initiative in Arkansas, called Array, is designed to proactively identify early care and education (ECE) programs that could benefit from social-emotional-focused (SE-focused) professional development and support, and to offer assistance tailored to a program’s particular needs. Because Array is designed to initiate contact with ECE programs, it has the potential […]

Early Childhood Education Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Arkansas Educators

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the experiences of young children and their caregivers over the past year. SRI Education and the National Center on Children in Poverty partnered with the Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE) to examine early care and education programs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief, which represents the second of two reports, shares […]

How Early Childhood Education Providers Can Use COVID-19 Relief Funds to Establish Lasting Mental Health Supports for Staff and Children

After more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, many young children have experienced disruptions to their daily routines, missed seeing family and friends, mourned the death of loved ones, or felt the strain and uncertainty of economic difficulties. These disruptions and trauma can have lasting effects to children’s social and emotional development and contribute […]

Early Childhood Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Arkansas Educators

This report presents information from surveys and focus groups with Arkansas childcare providers examining how the pandemic has shaped their practices and children’s experiences in early care and education programs. Key findings include: Generally high compliance with Covid-19 related safety restrictions An increase in teacher practices that limit child choice A relationship between teacher practices […]