In January 2024, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE)’s Office of Early Childhood began allowing child care workers employed in a licensed or registered child care or early childhood facility to qualify for the state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), regardless of their income. The department also expanded CCAP eligibility to foster parents who become adoptive parents.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—which administers more than $100 million each year in CCDBG funding to support child care assistance for low-income Arkansas families who work—had to approve ADE’s request for a waiver to allow the two groups to participate in the state’s CCAP.
To be eligible, child care workers must work for one of 1,400 programs that participate in the Child Care Assistance Program.
Sources:
Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families. (2024). Administrative Win for the Child Care Workforce.
Arkansas Department of Education. (2024). Arkansas Expands Child Care Assistance Program to Early Child Care Employees, Adoptive Parents.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
The early education workforce is the foundation upon which all daily work and any expansion and quality improvement efforts rest. Research suggests that states and cities should invest in the workforce across all early education setting types, focusing on enhancing educators’ professional learning, compensation, and workplace conditions.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Early educators play a critical role in supporting the well-being of young children and families across setting types.
- Yet their pay, benefits, and other professional supports are often inadequate in light of the job demands and their cost of living.