According to Dr. Belfield’s economic analysis, Arkansas’ pre-k investment to date will yield $2.32 for every $1 state leaders have allocated for the Arkansas Better Chance pre-k program for at-risk children. If the program were extended to all children, Arkansas would conservatively yield $1.58 in future cost savings. The analysis focused on the returns to […]

This brief looks at evaluations of 34 academically focused summer programs in order to distill challenges and compile promising strategies for creating quality summer programs. Arkansas-specific resources and information are available at the Arkansas Out-of-School Network site www.aosn.org.

Whenever parents are gathered together at work, at church, in the grocery store, or at a family event you will likely hear the questions: What are you doing with your child after school? What is your child doing this summer? The growing number of families with primary caregivers employed full time has created widespread concern […]

Today Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) released an in-depth analysis of what occurred during the expansion process of the quality preschool program. The report “Quality Pre-K Expansion in Arkansas: Lessons Learned,” details the successes and challenges of expanding access to the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success programs for an additional 7,000 eligible […]

During the special session in 2004, the Arkansas General Assembly passed landmark legislation, greatly expanding access to ABC programs. Act 49 created the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success programs, a state-funded quality preschool program for at-risk 3 and 4 year old children estimated to cost $100 million per year when fully implemented. During the […]

A collaboration with the Finance Project, this brief provides practitioners of local out-of-school time programs with techniques, tools, and strategies for improving their program and tracking their effectiveness over time.

Arkansas voters overwhelmingly support making quality early childhood education available for the state’s preschool population. According to a recent poll of registered Arkansas voters, 75 percent think public schools or state-supported programs should make early childhood education available for all 3- and 4-year-olds. The poll was commissioned by Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families (AACF) […]

This brief draws on information collected from focus group interviews with representatives of 14 programs that are involving youth in their evaluation and research efforts. It examines the elements of successful youth involved research projects and offers short profiles of the 14 organizations included in the study.

Homeless children and youth face barriers to enrollment, attendance, and success in school that other children do not confront. These barriers include transportation, official records requirements, and access to special programs. The Stewart B. McKinney Act of 1987 mandates that states receiving federal McKinney funds eliminate these educational barriers so that homeless children and youth […]

ANYONE WHO HAS HELD an infant or young child in her arms understands how precious and vulnerable children are in their early years of life. Over the years, researchers have discovered many of the ways children learn and develop, as well as what is important in the early training they receive. Recently, new scientific studies […]