Following the Funding: Analyzing Arkansas’s Early Childhood Fiscal Landscape
Understanding how Arkansas funds early childhood care and education is an important step toward strengthening the system that supports young children, families, and providers.
The Center for Early Learning Solutions at Forward Arkansas is leading the Early Childhood Governance and Finance Project (ECGFP) in partnership with the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), a collaborative effort involving state agency leaders, Local Lead organizations, and other stakeholders to better understand Arkansas’s early childhood financing landscape.
The project is working to develop a comprehensive fiscal analysis of system needs, resources, and gaps; build the fiscal and strategic capacity of Local Leads and other stakeholders; and identify potential opportunities to improve state and local fiscal strategy, planning, and implementation.
On November 13, CELS invites a broader audience to learn alongside project partners.
During this Learner Hour, participants will:
- Learn about the Early Childhood Governance and Finance Project and its goals.
- Explore key findings from an analysis of early childhood funding in Arkansas.
- Hear from state and local partners about how the findings connect to their experiences.
- Have an opportunity to share reactions, questions, and insights that can help inform the next phase of work.
The session is open to early childhood providers, Local Leads, community leaders, policymakers, advocates, and anyone interested in the future of early childhood care and education in Arkansas.
Why participate? Before we can identify the right solutions, we need a shared understanding of the system we’re working to strengthen. This Learner Hour is an opportunity to build that understanding together.
Registration is free and open to all.