The 2023 Arkansas Child Care Market Price Study, conducted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, Research and Evaluation Division, examines the prices families pay for child care across Arkansas and how those prices vary by factors such as geography, provider type, and the ages of children served. It also considers how the state’s child care subsidy reimbursement rates compare with prices in the private child care market.
The study provides state leaders with information to better understand Arkansas’s child care market and inform decisions about subsidy reimbursement rates and access to care. It also highlights an important distinction between market price—what providers charge families—and the actual cost of providing high-quality child care, offering useful context for broader conversations about early childhood financing and provider sustainability.
Read the full study here.