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Fall 2025 Early Childhood Landscape Analysis The state’s ECCE system is best...
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Tech-Enabled Solutions
Advancing Operational Excellence for Early Care and Education Providers
Early childhood providers should be able to dedicate more of their capacity to what matters most: delivering quality learning experiences for children and families. However, our early childhood landscape analysis found that administrative demands often take valuable staff time away from these priorities. Through the technology-enabled solutions pilot, we are exploring how child care management software (CCMS) can help alleviate these burdens.
CELS is partnering with early childhood providers, Local Leads, and CCMS provider brightwheel™ to test tools and turn provider-level data into operational insights and best practices. Through this pilot, we will gain a deeper understanding of how technology-enabled solutions could be expanded to strengthen early learning operations across Arkansas.
Simplifying Operations with CCMS
CCMS is a digital platform that streamlines many day-to-day administrative and business functions for early childhood programs. Providers can use CCMS to manage tasks such as enrollment and attendance, tuition and billing, subsidy payment tracking, family communication, classroom management, recordkeeping, and reporting.
By using a single system and simplifying routine processes, CCMS can help providers reduce paperwork; optimize the collection, accuracy, and accessibility of program information; and spend less time on administrative tasks. These efficiencies can create more time and capacity to support staff, engage families, and focus on high-quality care and education.
brightwheel™ as a Pilot Partner
brightwheel™ will work alongside CELS, participating early childhood providers, and Local Leads to help providers use the platform effectively. brightwheel™ will provide technical support throughout the project, collaborating with CELS and Local Leads to explore how provider-level data can be translated into useful operational insights. Through our partnership with brightwheel™, we will identify best practices for CCMS implementation and integration to understand the support providers need to adopt technology-enabled solutions. These learnings will help inform how similar approaches could be strengthened and expanded to more early childhood providers and communities.
Building the Learner Collective
Selecting Regions for the Learner Collective (TLC)
We used a data-driven approach to select Local Leads from among the applicants, first identifying urban areas that could be paired with adjacent rural communities to build momentum and extend reach. We looked for regions with an existing base of brightwheel™ users who could help demonstrate the platform’s benefits, while still having significant opportunity for broader adoption.
We also accounted for how well the pilot aligned with each region’s local early childhood plan, as well as the Local Lead’s readiness and interest.
Launching the Tech-Enabled Solutions Pilot
Counties initially prioritized for the pilot include: Clay, Randolph, Greene, Lawrence, Mississippi, Craighead, Poinsett, Jackson, Cross, Crittenden, Pike, Clark, Hot Spring, Grant, and providers in Pulaski County that are in the City of Little Rock and Dawson Educational Service Cooperative Local Lead catchment areas.
Within the selected regions, CELS and Local Leads are working together to identify eligible providers and build a pilot cohort. By learning from one another and sharing their experiences, we aim to identify effective approaches to CCMS implementation for future statewide expansion.
What Will CELS Learn from the Pilot?
Our pilot will help determine whether CCMS can simplify, streamline, and strengthen program operations. This includes reducing the time providers spend on administrative tasks; enhancing the accuracy of recordkeeping, compliance, and reporting; and improving revenue capture through timely tracking and recording of subsidy payments.
We are also exploring how to translate provider-level data into useful operational insights to help providers and Local Leads make more informed decisions. Ultimately, the pilot will help us understand whether these efficiencies can free up more time and resources for providers to support staff, children, and families.
Interested in CCMS?
We are raising awareness of CCMS among licensed early childhood providers to understand the statewide need, interest, and capacity for adoption. Providers can complete a form to indicate and interest and determine if they are eligible now for a free license. For questions, please contact Danell Hetrick, Operations & Analysis Manager, at dhetrick@forwardarkansas.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens after the CCMS pilot ends?
At the end of our pilot, participants will be invited to share their experience. This input will help shape future decisions about technology and support for early childhood programs across Arkansas.
Who is eligible to receive free licenses in the CCMS pilot?
Licensed providers located in the pilot-supported Local Lead regions: Northeast Arkansas ESC or Crowley’s Ridge ESC are are eligible at this time. They must serve low-income families and not have an existing brightwheel license. Eligible providers can visit the CELS x brightwheel™ landing page to get started.
In January, providers located in the expanded pilot-supported Local Lead regions: City of Little Rock and Dawson ESC will become eligible.
If you or someone you know is interested in a CCMS, but are not located in the current pilot-supported regions at this time, please complete the CCMS Interest Form to indicate interest in future pilot expansion.
What are the qualifiers for “serving low-income children?”
There are several ways to demonstrate this eligibility requirement:
- Enroll children who are utilizing School Readiness Assistance (SRA)
- Enroll children utilizing Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) funding
- Enroll children whose care and education is funded by Medicaid
- Be a school-based program located at a Title I school district
Other qualifiers demonstrating service and accessibility to low-income families (e.g., sliding scales) will also be considered.
How does brightwheel™ support Arkansas child care subsidy processes?
We will explore how technology-enabled solutions like brightwheel™ can improve data quality and streamline subsidy-related administrative processes. brightwheel™ helps providers maintain attendance and enrollment records, which can support more accurate child care subsidy billing and reduce managerial burdens. By capturing attendance digitally and keeping records organized, providers may spend less time reconciling information and correcting errors.
brightwheel™ does not replace Arkansas’s child care subsidy policies or billing requirements. Providers remain responsible for following all state requirements and submitting accurate information through the appropriate processes.
How does brightwheel™ support compliance with Arkansas child care licensing requirements?
brightwheel™ is designed to help providers organize many of the records, documentation, and operational activities that support compliance with Arkansas child care licensing requirements. These features can reduce paperwork, improve record organization, and make important information easier to access when needed. Licensing decisions remain the responsibility of the Office of Early Childhood and licensing specialists. Providers are responsible for ensuring they meet all applicable rules and regulations.
