PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

FY2017 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2018

Arkansas
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

General Information 

1. PR/Award #: S419B150025 2. Grantee Federal Information Processing Code:

3. Project Title: 84.419 B Preschool Development Grants-Extension

4. Grantee Name: Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education

5. Grantee Address:700 Main St. 

City: Little Rock State: Arkansas Zip: 72201

6. Project Director Name: Tonya Williams

Title: Director of Division of Child care and Early Childhood Education

Phone #: (501) 320-8953 Ext.: Fax #:

Email Address: Tonya.L.Williams@dhs.arkansas.gov

Check only one box per Program Office instructions. ✔ Annual Performance Report Final Performance Report

Reporting Period Information 

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2017 To: 12/31/2017

8. Budget Expenditures (To be completed by your Business Office. See instructions.)

Budget Period Federal Grant Funds Non-Federal Funds (Match/Cost Share)

a. Previous Budget Period $14,992,999.00 $8,204,374.00 

b. Current Budget Period $14,993,000.00 $8,204,374.00 

c. Entire Project Period 

(For Final Performance Reports only)

9. Indirect Cost Information (To be completed by your Business Office. See Instructions.)

a. Are you claiming indirect costs under this grant? Yes No

b. If yes, do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal Government? Yes No

c. If yes, provide the following information: 

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: To:

Approving Federal agency: ED Other Specify other:

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) Provisional Final Specify other:

d. For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

Other

10. Performance Measures Status

a. Are complete data on performance measures for the current budget period included in the 

Project Status Chart?

Yes No

b. If no, when will the data be available and submitted to the Department? 07/30/2018
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Executive Summary 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

Grantee State: AR PR/Award #: S419B150025

You are required to submit an Executive Summary of up to 3000 words with your Annual Performance 

Report. This summary should relate to your approved application and summarize the goals and 

objectives that have been achieved under your grant, what you learned, and any evaluation results. 

Describe any unanticipated outcomes or benefits from your project and any barriers that you may have 

encountered. If there have been any changes to the project from the approved application, those 

should be explained as well.

The State of Arkansas has continued to utilize the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) funds 

to enhance and expand the current state funded preschool program, Arkansas Better Chance 

(ABC) Program, through the expansion of 1,363 slots and enrich the additional 1,509 currently 

state funded slots. The enrollment for Year 3 has maintained status quo and reflects a slight 

increase of nine improvement slots. The enrollment average for Year 3 with the PDG has 

been maintained at 97%. Throughout Year 3, the State provided technical assistance 

opportunities through networking with individual subgrantees and bringing them together as 

group for various training opportunities. Programs shared ideas and strategies that strengthen 

the engagement of families and extended techniques for families/ caregivers to build 

community outreach to partner with other resources. 

The State has continued to build upon and strengthen its robust early child and education 

(ECE) system. The many projects that were listed in Year 2 were developed and have now 

been in a process of rollout and implementation within the PDG programs. The first update 

on the rollout and implementation are as follows: 

 

1) Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards (CDELS): Birth through 60 

Months- Since the adoption of the new AR CDELS, a contract was awarded to the University 

of AR, College of Education- Early Childhood- to develop training to rollout statewide. Initially 

a train-the-trainer was held and then the trainers delivered the CDELS out to the early 

childhood providers. The state PDG program specialist is beginning to notice more 

subgrantee staff embracing and utilizing the standards within their classrooms. 

 

2) A Family Engagement Framework: Professional development was provided to PDG 

subgrantees on improving family communication through the implementation of Caring Cafes 

where topics are generated via the family participants and then are facilitated to encourage 

constructive and helpful interactions among the participants. The results revealed more 

sharing and networking among the families and offered support of similar concerns or 

interests. Not only was this a process for engaging families in the interests of the 

subgrantees and the services being provided for their children, but it also gave administrators 

techniques for how to engage positive communication with and among their staff. 

 

The PDG Programs were provided the Family Engagement Framework, which supports 

building a family engagement system. The guide consists of the family engagement definition, 

guiding principles, brain development, benefits, pyramid framework, strategies for each of the 

family engagement outcomes, models for continuous improvements, and a statewide 

resource list. 

 
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3) Connection of the Kindergarten Readiness Indicators with the Arkansas Child 

Development and Early Learning Standards for Teachers: 

Act 930 of 2017 required the administration of a developmentally appropriate measurement or 

assessment for kindergarten through grade two (K-2) in literacy and mathematics. To meet 

this requirement, while providing districts some flexibility, beginning in the 2017-2018 school 

year, each district selected the assessment that best met needs of their K-2 students. School 

districts chose from a list of state approved assessments for their K-2 students. 

A committee, which included representatives of the PDG subgrantees, worked with the AR 

Department of Education (ADE) to select three K-2 assessments as follows: 

• Istation - ISIP 

• NWEA - Map for Growth 

• Renaissance - Star 

Due to the multi-dimensional nature of using three K-2 developmental assessments it will 

prove challenging to compare or analyze the outcomes of children moving from PDG to an 

LEA Kindergarten program (through grade 2). The state assessor is determined to identify 

commonalities for measurement in order to ensure valid data reflecting child progress. 

 

4) The Arkansas Workforce Knowledge and Competencies for Early Care and 

Education Professionals (WKCs) Update 2-26-2018: 

The DCCECE Professional Standards Committee met on December 6, 2017, to review public 

input received on the Arkansas Workforce Knowledge and Competencies for Early Care and 

Education Professionals (WKCs), to develop a plan of action for addressing public concerns 

and to determine next steps to finalize the document. 

DCCECE and the Professional Standards Committee Co-chairman met with the ELAN 

Chairman prior to the December meeting to gain clarification about the group's 

recommendations. The Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) provided extensive input and a 

request for numerous changes to the WKCs including rewriting current competencies and 

adding new competencies. Following this meeting, the WKCs will be submitted to the 

DCCECE Director for review and approval. DCCECE will work with its public relations agency 

to design the WKC document, and will engage a DCCECE contractor to develop training for 

practitioners. The Professional Standards Committee Chairman met with the ELAN Chairman 

to review the cross-alignment document in February 2018. Additional details provided in 

Section A, Part B, 1. 

Arkansas recognizes that a well-educated and qualified workforce is critical to nurturing the 

learning and development of young children, particularly those with high needs. During the 

second year, Arkansas utilized funding provided by the Preschool Development Grant to 

provide support the expansion of the Powerful Interactions Program to Early Childhood 

Education providers. Year 3 provided opportunities to increase the number of ECE provider 

participation in the Powerful Interaction Program and further advance enhanced 

communication skills for other PDG staff. The upcoming year will move this training more 

toward coaching and mentoring to assist program effectiveness and more outreach to other 

PDG staff members. 

 

Challenges and Lessons Learned: In the first year, the notice of the initial grant award was in 

the middle of the year when all programs were up and operational creating a push to get staff 

in place, conducting subgrantees selection and clear implementation plans in place. There 

were unexpected challenges of rolling out the funding to subgrantees via contracts. At the 

same time, new procurement requirements and practices were being refined for 

implementation with ongoing adjustments to the procedures. At the beginning of the second 
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year, the procurement challenges have decreased and the subgrantees are embracing the 

PDG funds to assist in improving their state funded preschool program and expanding school 

readiness services to more children in the community. The new procurement requirements 

are in place and while the process of submitting invoices for services rendered is new to the 

local educational agencies, this seems to be working out favorably. 

 

For Year 3, the providers implementing PDG seem to have more “ah-ha moments” and are 

more on board to implementing a higher level of service for children. They are eager to share 

how the availability of the Family Service Managers (FSM) have been instrumental in helping 

their programs and assist with the connections to families/caregivers to community resources. 

One program notes that due to the availability of the FSM, attendance has improved and 

children want to come to school because they do not want to miss anything. Another program 

shared that they approach the year as a team and work with parents as a valued team 

member to achieve the optimal outcomes for all children. Overall, the observations reflect 

that the work with the community partners have greatly enriched the opportunities for the 

children and their families. 

 

The challenges listed in the previous APRs, such as the lack of degreed paraprofessionals, 

the varying job description of the Family Service Manager, and the issues surrounding the 

provision of dental screenings have now evolved to be a method of positive intervention for 

staff, children and families not to mention the benefit for the community. 

When the PDG grant was drafted, Arkansas made a conscious decision to require higher 

educational levels or a minimum of an associate degree in early childhood education for the 

paraprofessional to assist the teacher and to enhance greater opportunities for programs to 

impact the developmental readiness level for children. As written in the Year 2 APR- this 

sounds like a good concept to improve the teacher pipeline, however, fourteen of the 

seventeen PDG subgrantees struggled to locate and employ these individuals with an 

associate degree in early childhood education within their communities across the state and 

this included the areas where institutions of higher education had a degreed program to offer. 

While the state worked with all the PDG Programs to develop staff improvement plans and 

encourage employment of staff with associate degrees for the paraprofessional positions, 

Year 3 reflects that majority of program have paraprofessionals with required credentials. 

Those who had a staff improvement plan have either successfully accomplished this or in 

process of completion, thereby improving the early childhood educational pipeline. Currently, 

lead teachers meet the PDG program staff qualification requirement of a bachelor's degree in 

early childhood education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State - approved 

alternative pathway, which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of 

knowledge of content and pedagogy relating to early childhood. In fact, the majority of lead 

teachers have teacher certification/ license. The exceptions to the teacher certification/ 

license are if the program operates outside the LEA such as a Head Start and/or University. 

 

Recruitment efforts to enroll children continued to improve in Year 3. The primary struggle 

that one of the larger districts has experienced is the need to serve children that are three 

years of age and the idea to have a greater impact on having children for two years rather 

than just the impact for one year. As a result, one of the PDG programs requested to 

relinquish 33 of their improvement slots that was paired with the state funded preschool 

program so that they could enroll three-year-old children. As per the approval of the Federal 

Project Officer, the slots that were relinquished by the larger district were passed through to 

two other smaller PDG programs, which enabled these programs to expand their services and 

meet more needs in their community. As discussed in Year 2, one PDG program 

relinquished all slots affiliated with PDG and the state funded preschool program. Although 

the state worked with this program to assist with recruitment ideas and encourage the 

program to continue, however the decision by the agency was to terminate all funding from 

the state. Two other PDG Programs were ready to ensure continuity of services to the 
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displaced children, which proved to be beneficial to these two programs and their 

communities. 

 

 
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Grant Status Form 

Explanation of Progress (524B Section A) 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data 

(narrative) 

1. Project Objective

Grantee State: AR PR/Award #: S419B150025

1(a) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in 

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant. Describe the State's progress in meeting 

this Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure based on enrollment of Eligible 

Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant as of December 1, 2017.

As of December 1, 2017, the State of Arkansas enrolled 2,794 of the allotted 2,870 eligible 

children in high need communities funded by the PDG grant. Programs are continuing to 

recruit children for the current 78 enrollment vacancies located throughout the 16 agencies 

and 85 sites. Spring 2017, the Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County- Head 

Start (EOA) relinquished PDG slots - 29 expansion and 16 improvement that were dispersed 

between the following: Fort Smith School District - twenty-eight (28) expansion and 

Fayetteville School District - nineteen (19) improvement. In October 2017, Fort Smith School 

District relinquished 33 improvement slots in order to serve the growing demand of 3-year-old 

children in need of a high quality service. The Fort Smith relinquished slots were dispersed 

between the Magnolia School District (23 improvement) and the DeWitt School District (10 

improvement) slots. The areas with vacancies are continuously being reviewed and evaluated 

based on the state data matrix to determine reallocation to programs that are in need of 

additional enrollment opportunities within their communities. 

Please describe, as required in Program Requirement (k)(2) in the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA), 

how the State established policies and procedures that ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children 

with disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage 

of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et 

seq.), or the current national average, whichever is greater. 

Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-children receiving services through part B, section 619 of 

IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org). States should include detailed 

information on ALL structural elements.

As of December 1, 2017, the State of Arkansas served 15.9% of eligible children with 

disabilities in High-Quality Preschool Programs. All subgrantees of the Preschool 

Development Grant must adhere to the state funded preschool program, Arkansas Better 

Chance (ABC) Program, Rules and Regulations. The ABC Rules and Regulations require 

that within 45 days of enrollment, a child shall receive a routine annual developmental 

screening to determine individual needs. The purpose of the screening is to identify 

developmental delays and/or educational deficiencies. Children so identified shall be referred 

to Special Education within seven calendar days of the date of screening. Programs must 
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comply with State and Federal laws for children with disabilities. The developmental screening 

must include, at a minimum, the following areas: vocabulary, visual-motor integration, 

language and speech development, fine and gross motor skills, social skills and 

developmental milestones. The ABC/PDG Program Specialists review the developmental 

screenings during regular monitoring visits and/or on-line desk reviews to ensure policies and 

procedures are being implemented and followed accordingly. The data specialists monitor 

the State's data system to ensure that the subgrantees are entering the data accordingly and 

following through with services. 
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Describe the State's progress in increasing the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in 

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

During the 2017 program year, the State of Arkansas' state funded preschool programs 

enrollment maintained the status quo from last year's expansion of an additional 1,363 

enrollment opportunities to four year olds equating to an 11% increase. This allowed an 

additional 68 high-quality preschool classrooms in Arkansas' highest need communities. 

DCCECE provides ongoing technical assistance for providers regarding recruitment and 

enrollment of children for the state funded preschool and PDG programs. 

1(b) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children served overall in the 

State Preschool Program. Please describe any increases or decreases in this GPRA measure

based on fall enrollment in the State Preschool Program for the 2017-18 school year.

During the 2017 program year, 20,558 children were served overall with funds from the State Preschool 

Program, 33% of those served within the high need communities. There were a total of 12,314 four-year-old 

children funded solely by the State Preschool Program - Arkansas Better Chance (ABC), 1,509 were funded with 

a combination of state preschool funds and PDG funds, and 1,363 were funded solely by PDG. Due to the PDG 

grant, the State of Arkansas was able to increase enrollment opportunities to four year olds by 11%. The State 

has been flat funded therefore, there has not been a change in enrollment for the State Preschool Program. 
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1(c) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children in the High-Need 

Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as determined by the State's 

Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment, 

other valid and reliable means of determining school readiness.

 

In the Year 3 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children enrolled 

and served by the grant. This may include information collected about the children enrolled and received 

services by the grant during the 2016-17 preschool year. States may provide data from a sample of children 

(e.g., a sample being used for any evaluation).

In the Year 3 APR, grantees must describe their progress towards identifying the measures, methods, 

and data on the school readiness of children served by the Preschool Development Grant. In the 

narrative below provide the following information: 

 • The name of the assessment tool(s) and the Essential Domains of School Readiness 

measured; 

 • When the assessment tool(s) is/are given (e.g., in preschool and/or kindergarten); 

 • Whether the assessment is mandated by the State, and for which children; 

 • How long the State has been using the assessment tool(s); 

 • Whether the assessment tool(s) is/are implemented throughout the High-Need Community 

and/or Statewide; 

 • Whether the State provides or will provide training for local staff administering the assessment. 

If so, describe the requirements including processes to ensure continued reliability in the 

administration of the measure; 

 • If school readiness data is reported to the State, describe when and how data are reported. 

Also, please describe, if applicable: 

 • The State's definition of "school readiness;" 

 • Disaggregated information about children's school readiness on individual domains or 

subsets of the measure; 

 • School readiness data for children disaggregated by subgroup (e.g., students who are 

American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, not Pacific Islander; Native Hawaiian/other 

Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; White, not Hispanic; two or 

more races; with disabilities; English learners; and from any other subgroups the state 

determines appropriate; and 

 • How the State will continue to make progress in meeting this GPRA measure. 

State of Arkansas Act 49 of 2003: Section 4 requires that all children who are enrolled into the 

state funded preschool program be assessed upon enrollment in the program and continue 

until each child completes the fourth grade, so long as the child is enrolled into a public school 

within the state. The assessments provide an indication of each child's school readiness and 

are directly aligned with the Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards 

(revised and approved in 2016) and serves to promote curriculum development and 

instructional methods. 

 

The current assessment tool for the state funded preschool program is, Work Sampling, and 

must be implemented within all state funded preschool programs as well as other federal and/

or foundation funded preschool programs following the ABC Regulations. Work Sampling is a 

continuous analysis of student growth throughout the year and measures the following 

domains of school readiness: personal and social development, language and literacy, 

mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, social studies, art, and physical development. All 
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child development staff, are required, ABC Rules and Regulations (11.10), to attend Work 

Sampling training during their first year of employment and an annual refresher training. 

 

The AR Department of Education (ADE) representatives worked with a state subcommittee of 

Early Childhood professionals to revise the Kindergarten Readiness Indicators Checklist 

(KRIC) and to align with the Child Development and Early Learning Standards as well as align 

with the States Kindergarten Standards including standards for English Language Arts, 

Mathematics, and Physical Development. 

 

The revised KRIC along with the state approved assessments for K-2 students are to inform 

the instruction of students and the implementation of required remediation, intervention and/or 

enrichment. The Arkansas Law (Act 930 of 2017) required the administration of a 

developmentally appropriate measurement or assessment for kindergarten through grade two 

(K-2) in literacy and mathematics beginning the 2017-18 school year. School districts were 

allowed to choose from a list of state approved assessments including: Istation - ISIP; NWEA 

- Map for Growth; and Renaissance - Star. The local education agencies (LEA) selection of 

the state approved assessment instruments supporting the children from the current PDG 

subgrantees are as follows: two (2) - Istation-ISIP; six (6) - NWEA-Map for Growth; and eight 

(8) - Renaissance-Star. 

The ADE funded each district's selected assessment comprising of all services and 

deliverables as listed in the state contract. Each district commits to the use and implement 

one of the selected assessments for at least three years. The intent of the K-2 assessments 

is to be administered at least three times during the school year to assist educators to make 

data driven instruction decisions. 

 

Cohort progress will be measured longitudinally, but with the change in KEA, comparisons 

across cohorts will be more difficult, however general kindergarten readiness comparisons 

should continue to be possible. 

Arkansas will continue to make progress towards this GPRA performance measure, 

increasing the number and percentage of children in the high-need communities served by 

the grant that are ready for Kindergarten, by continuing to assess K-2 assessments 

outcomes. 

Since the academic year 2016-2017 was the last year for the Qualls Early Learning Inventory 

(QELI) to be administered, data regarding this assessment has been requested from the 

Arkansas Department of Education to examine PDG Cohort 2 for kindergarten outcomes. 

Beyond the scope of this GPRA performance measure, assessment data for later grades will 

also be collected as each cohort progresses through grade school to examine the longitudinal 

impact of the PDG, as well as data on non-cognitive indicators, such as attendance and 

discipline. These non-cognitive indicators are an important component of assessing the longterm impact of early childhood education. Lifelong success is not measured by a test, but 

rather by showing up and getting one's work done. 

 

PDG programs and children will be identified within the ABC/QELI Report in order to evaluate 

the impact of the grant elements on child outcomes. PDG dollars are being used for both 

child level and program level support, and this distinction will be made in evaluating PDG 

impact for the two cohorts of children. All student outcomes will be measured using the state's 

adopted K-2 assessments (as listed above) as well as non-cognitive indicators of success. 

Both student and program impact will be considered in determining PDG effectiveness in 
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improving student outcomes in high-need communities. The State will continue to make 

progress in the reporting of school readiness data, in order to provide an alignment with birth 

to kindergarten and kindergarten through third grade. 

 

In the interim until student data is available from the ADE, the DCCECE is utilizing pre, interim 

and post results from the Work Sampling System (WSS) which is administered to all children 

affiliated with the PDG and the state funded preschool program. The WSS data will reflect the 

demonstrable growth of each child /cohort of children collected at each PDG program in all 

domains over the course of the year. The Work Sampling System, an authentic performance 

assessment (formative/summative), is based on teachers' observations of children at work in 

the classroom learning regardless of the classroom curriculum being utilized. 

The summary of the WSS data for cohort 2 reflects that all of the developmental domains 

(personal/social development; language/ literacy; mathematical thinking; scientific thinking; 

social studies; the arts; physical development- health and safety) showed growth in 

development having a range from 76% to 89.8%. 

Each WSS domain for cohort 2 reflects the percent in the developmental growth as follow: 

Domains Pre % Post % % of Growth 

Personal/ Social Development 25.7 83.8 58.1 

Language/ Literacy 17.5 79.6 62.1 

Mathematical Thinking 12.3 76.0 63.7 

Scientific Thinking 13.3 80.2 66.9 

Social Studies 15.6 79.6 64.0 

The Arts 31.0 86.7 55.7 

Physical Development- Health and Safety 31.8 89.8 58.0 

 

In summary, 75% of the children were proficient by the end of the year. 
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For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY: 

1(d) GPRA Performance Measure: The number of States that collect and analyze data on State 

Preschool Program quality, including the structural elements of quality specified in the 

definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.

N/A - Arkansas was awarded the Preschool Development Grant - Expansion funds. 
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Section A: Part B - Selection Criteria 

In this section of the APR, States will report on their progress addressing the Preschool Development Grant's 

selection criteria. The State should read the questions carefully and report in the narrative fields directly below the 

questions. Please include any data, data notes or formulas to help the readers understand the State's narrative 

responses.

1. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria “C” of the application) 

Describe the State's use of funds received over the grant period for State Preschool Program 

infrastructure and quality improvements, including the State's efforts to implement a system of 

monitoring and support at the State level toward activities such as those described in Section (C)(1)(ak) of the NIA. 

 

Note: States will report amounts and percentage of funds for State Preschool Program infrastructure 

and High-Quality Preschool Programs in the Competitive Preference Priority 3 Chart.

The State has continued to build upon and strengthen its robust early childhood education 

(ECE) system. Use of the funds, combined with funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 

have supported the following on-going projects: 1) State Child Development and Early 

Learning Standards that were adopted by Early Childhood Commission April 2016 and 

approved by the AR State Board of Education ; 2) Completion and implementation of the 

Family Engagement Framework and the roll out of staff development and state resource 

materials January 2016; 3) Kindergarten Readiness Indicator Checklist (KRIC) - prepared in 

partnership with the ADE. According to the AR Minimum Licensing for Child Care Centers 

Regulations, the KRIC is required to be distributed to all families of three and four-year-old 

children enrolled; 4) Currently, Arkansas school districts have selected one of three new K-2 

assessments approved by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) for implementation 

Fall 2017. The projects are primarily funded by the Kellogg Foundation grant, supplemented 

by existing state funded resources (e.g., CCDF, Arkansas Department of Education Funds). 

In addition to these projects, the State planned to utilize funding from the Preschool 

Development Grant to: revise the state's Workforce Knowledge and Competency Framework, 

implement statewide training promoting relationship-based practices; and strengthen the 

State's system of monitoring and continuous improvement. In-kind funds were dedicated to 

support the Workforce Knowledge and Competency Framework, therefore the planned PDG 

funds were not used to support this project as initially intended but will be used to provide staff

development now that the framework is approved. 

 

The State has completed the Family Engagement Framework (FEF), which provides supports 

for early child programs in building a family engagement system. The FEF consists of the 

state's definition for family engagement, guiding principles, brain development, benefits, 

pyramid framework, strategies for each of the family engagement outcomes, and models for 

continuous improvements. 

The Arkansas PDG Annual Family Service Manager Peer Exchange Meeting “Embracing 

Cultural Diversity” was hosted on December 12, 2017. Subgrantees were excited to share the 

results of the services that have been implemented within their programs. All sixteen PDG 

Subgrantees participated and were represented by both family service managers and 

administrative staff. The displays prepared and presented by the programs were outstanding 

in their representation of strong family engagement activities. A true dedication and 

commitment for advancing work with children and families was evident by the presented 
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displays highlighting the plethora of strong family engagement activities and community 

interactions. A trainer provided a Caring Conversations Café-`Building Strong Parent 

Provider Partnerships' so programs could see how this could be replicated within their 

programs. 

 

Arkansas recognizes that a well-educated and qualified workforce is critical to nurturing the 

learning and development of young children, particularly those with high needs. 

The Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE), along with a crosssector team of 20 professionals including representatives from institutions of higher education, 

K-12 education, special education and Head Start developed the Arkansas Workforce 

Knowledge and Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals (WKC). The WKC 

refer to the expectations for what the workforce should know (content) and be able to do 

(skills) in their role working with and/or on behalf of children and their families. The values of 

inclusion, diversity, equity and respect are embedded in Arkansas's WKC. These values 

promote positive relationships and learning opportunities and provide consistency across the 

early childhood system. The WKC is aligned with the NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood 

Professional Preparation and the Arkansas Child Development Early Learning Development 

Standards. 

As previously shared in an earlier section, the DCCECE Professional Standards Committee 

met on December 6, 2017, to review public input received on the Arkansas Workforce 

Knowledge and Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals (WKCs), to 

develop a plan of action for addressing public concerns and to determine next steps to finalize 

the document. 

The Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) provided extensive input and a request for 

numerous changes to the WKCs including rewriting current competencies and adding new 

competencies. DCCECE and the Professional Standards Committee Co-chairman met with 

the ELAN Chairman prior to the December meeting to gain clarification about the group's 

recommendations. The ELAN Chairman is also a member of the Professional Standards 

Committee. 

During the December meeting, Professional Standards Committee members were assigned 

the following tasks: 1) Write an introductory “history” section; 2) Develop a cross-alignment 

document between the WKCs and the ELAN recommendations; 3) Number the document in a 

manner that makes it easier for instructors and providers to utilize; 4) Write an introduction for 

Competency Area 8; and 5) Review glossary definitions to ensure consistency with definitions 

from the Work Sampling and Ounce Systems. 

The Professional Standards Committee Chairman met with the ELAN Chairman to review the 

cross-alignment document. The Professional Standards Committee plans to meet again with 

the goal of finalizing all assigned tasks. 

Following this meeting, the WKCs will be submitted to the DCCECE Director for review and 

approval. DCCECE will work with its public relations agency to design the WKC document, 

and will engage a DCCECE contractor to develop training for practitioners. 

Arkansas has completed a rigorous process seeking input and recommendations for the 

selection and implementation of the new Kindergarten Entry Assessment. 

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) was committed in its efforts to have multiple 

vendors on the Arkansas state approved list for district choice. Because the original Request 

for Qualifications (RFQ) did not result in four vendors, the Arkansas Department of Education 

(ADE) had to post a second RFQ in an effort to add up to two additional vendors to the state 

list for district consideration. Therefore, it was necessary to adjust the previously 
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communicated timeline regarding the K-2 Assessment selection. Although no PDG funds 

were used in identifying the new K-2 assessments, PDG personnel were selected to assist 

throughout the process. 

Arkansas law (Act 930 of 2017) requires the administration of a developmentally appropriate 

measurement or assessment for kindergarten through grade two (K-2) in literacy and 

mathematics. To meet this requirement, while providing districts some flexibility, beginning in 

the 2017-2018 school year, each district was able to select the assessment that would best 

meet the needs of their K-2 students. School districts were allowed to choose from a list of 

state approved assessments for their K-2 students as listed and described in a previous 

section. 

 

Plans are in place with the Arkansas Department of Education to conduct the longitudinal 

study as children move from Preschool through elementary. The Kindergarten Readiness 

Indicator Checklist (KRIC) is being provided to all parents who have children entering 

Kindergarten. 

 

Program Evaluation: The state funded preschool program has been using the Early 

Childhood Environment Rating Scale - Revised (ECERS-R). However, Arkansas utilized the 

funds to ensure continuous improvement of program quality by conducting research and a 

pilot study that provided insight and guidance to determine the most efficient and reliable 

instrument to measure classroom environment and teacher/child interactions. The DCCECE 

selected the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale - Third Edition (ECERS-3) 

assessment tool to pilot with the PDG subgrantees and the state funded preschool 

classrooms at PDG sites beginning in 2017. 

 

The Division of Childhood and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE) and Arkansas State 

University (A-State) Childhood Services held a meeting to acquaint the PDG Programs with 

the new ECERS-3 assessment tool in September of 2017. The following key differences in 

the ECERS-3 and ECERS-R provided the impetus for the pilot study. 

 

 

The ECERS-3: 

 

• Builds upon the importance of the appropriateness and variety of materials with an 

enhanced focus on teacher/child interactions 

• Provides a highly comprehensive measure of quality geared toward enhanced child 

outcomes 

• Interactions are not just a subscale but are now embedded throughout the instrument 

• Focus on use of materials in teaching activities 

• Greater reliance on observation of ongoing classroom activity 

• Increased emphasis on engaging language, literacy, and math experiences with many 

new items and indicators 

 

As a part of the pilot study twenty-seven (27) ECERS-3 assessments were completed in the 

fall of 2017 within PDG programs. Results indicated an overall average score of 4.45 which 

was comparable to the preliminary results presented by five other states (Georgia, 

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, and Illinois) currently using the tool. The preliminary 

results shared at the ERS Conference in Atlanta (April 2017) indicated most classrooms 
ED 524B Page 16 of 28

scored as much as one point lower on the ECERS-3 when compared to previous ECERS-R 

scores. Thus, a 4.45 would equate to a score of 5.45 on the ECERS-R. 

2. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community (Selection 

Criteria D of application) 

 

Describe the progress the State has made during the reporting year to implement and sustain 

voluntary high quality preschool programs for eligible children in two or more High-Need Communities 

(Selection Criteria D(4) of the application) that include ALL structural elements listed below that are 

included in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. States should include detailed 

information on ALL structural elements.

High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood 

education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, 

which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and 

pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials;

✔

✔ High-quality professional development for all staff; 

✔ A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

✔ A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

✔ A Full-Day program;

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all 

opportunities; ✔

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidencebased curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and 

Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry;

✔

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate 

fully in learning activities; ✔

✔ Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;

✔ Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that 

promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development; 

and

✔
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✔ Evidence-based health and safety standards.
ED 524B Page 18 of 28

Please describe the progress the State has made in establishing High-Quality Preschool Programs 

that include ALL structural elements listed above that are evidence-based and nationally recognized 

as important for ensuring program quality.

The following elements assist in establishing program quality through High Staff 

Qualifications: 

 

ABC Program Rules and Regulations require the lead teacher shall hold a standard Arkansas 

teacher license with P-4 certification. Non-public school based or non-educational cooperative 

based ABC programs may hire a non-certified teacher with a bachelor's degree in early 

childhood education or child development. All classrooms funded with PDG funds employ a 

teacher with a minimum of a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a bachelor's 

degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway. Arkansas also encourages 

providers to employ a paraprofessional with a minimum of an associate's degree. A decision 

was made by the Arkansas Department of Education [ADE] and approved by the ADE State 

Board to replace the P-4 with the B-5 [Birth to Five Years of Age] certification. The B-5 

certification is fully implemented statewide however, communities are experiencing a shortage 

and availability of teachers trained in early childhood education. Therefore, this rule as well as 

all ABC Rules and Regulations will be revised and promulgated in the upcoming year. 

 

High-Quality Professional Development: Between July 1 and June 30 each year, all ABC 

teachers and paraprofessionals shall participate in a minimum of thirty (30) hours of staff 

development on topics pertinent to early childhood education and approved by DCCECE. 

Teachers and paraprofessionals shall be required to receive training in the following areas: 

Arkansas Child Development Early Learning Standards, PreK ELLA (Early Literacy Learning 

in Arkansas), INDEX (Math and Science for Young Children), Social/Emotional Learning in 

Arkansas, Work Sampling Online, COPA, Special Needs including IDEA, referral process, 

and Special Education Rules and Regulations. PDG funding has afforded additional training 

opportunities including but not limited to: family engagement, teacher/child interaction, 

leadership, communication skills, home-school links, building community partnership, 

sustainability of programs, etc. 

 

A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1: ABC Rules and Regulations (10.02)

states the adult-to-child ratio in any classroom with ABC children shall not exceed 1:10 (3 

years-5 years). 

 

A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications: 

ABC Rules and Regulation (10.01) states the group size in any classroom with ABC children 

shall not exceed 20 children for ages 3-5 years or the classroom's licensing capacity, 

whichever is less. 

 

A Full-Day program: ABC Rules and Regulations (9.06) states that for each child enrolled, 

ABC programs shall provide a minimum of 7 hours per day, 178 days per year for instruction. 

 

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all 

opportunities: ABC Rules and Regulations (14.07 & 14.08) states for any ABC child also 

receiving special education services, appropriate staff from the Education Cooperative or 

school district shall have access to the child at mutually agreeable times during the program 

day in order to provide services outlined in the child's IEP. For any ABC child requiring the 

intervention services of special education, the ABC program shall collaborate with special 
ED 524B Page 19 of 28

education professionals to ensure each party has access to necessary information to provide 

the appropriate services. Early Education Special Education teachers shall have access to 

any information pertaining to a child receiving special education that is in the possession of 

the ABC program that would be necessary for reviewing and evaluating the child's progress in 

the general education setting. Access to proprietary information on the child shall be on a 

need-to-know basis. 

 

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction: ABC Rules 

and Regulations (13.01) states all early childhood programs funded by ABC monies shall be 

developmentally appropriate and individualized to meet the needs of each student enrolled. 

The following references shall be utilized to determine developmental appropriateness: 

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, From Neurons to 

Neighborhoods, and Arkansas Early Childhood Frameworks. 

ABC Rules and Regulations (13.06) states all programs must utilize a curriculum approved by 

DCCECE. A list of approved curriculum models will be made available by DCCECE on an 

annual basis. A program wishing to use a curriculum not on the list may request, in writing to 

DCCECE, consideration of an additional curriculum. Program coordinators shall ensure 

teachers have adequate training on curriculum. 

 

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate 

fully in learning activities: ABC Rules and Regulations (13.03) states each classroom shall be 

equipped with toys, books and play apparatus to take care of the needs of the total group and 

to provide each child with a variety of activities through the day. A variety of equipment shall 

be accessible from low shelves to children of all ages and shall be arranged in learning 

centers. 

 

ABC Rules and Regulations (13.04) states the program shall be individualized to meet the 

needs of each student enrolled. Each curriculum model and the actual classroom practice will 

be assessed using the applicable environmental rating scale to ensure the model is 

developmentally appropriate. 

 

Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff. 

The Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") entered into by and between The Arkansas 

Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education 

(DCCECE-"Lead Agency") and the ABC Grantee-"Subgrantees", articulates specific roles and 

responsibilities in support of the State in its implementation of an approved Preschool 

Development Grant-High Quality Preschool Program Expansion Grant (HQPP). 

Implementing Instructional staff salaries comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional 

staff is an element within the MOU signed agreement. 

 

Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement: ABC Programs are monitored in the 

following ways: 1) through the Child Care Licensing adhering to minimum Child Care 

Licensing regulations; 2) ABC program monitoring staff or compliance to ABC standards; 3) 

Arkansas Better Beginnings (AR-BB), the state's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement 

System (QRIS), which includes classroom assessments using the Early Childhood 

Environment Rating Scale (ECERS); and 4) Work Sampling Assessment of all children. ABC 

program specialists conduct unannounced visits each year and utilize a detailed multi-item 

protocol that measures compliance to all sections of the ABC program standards. 

 

The Family Service Managers (FSM) have been instrumental in extending accessibility of onsite and comprehensive services for children and establishing community partnerships to 
ED 524B Page 20 of 28

promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development. 

The FSMs have a maximum caseload of 40 PDG children and families. They work to ensure 

parents have the resources needed at home and for success of their children at school. The 

FSMs work with parents to translate materials for ELL families, job resumes, securing jobs, 

insurance for children, applying to college and vocational schools, single parent families, 

family abuse, and Kindergarten registration. This is accomplished through parent visits onsite, FSMs home visits with children and families and community partnerships. 

They have helped to organize parent activities throughout the year. Parents are invited to 

participate in activities with their child and school family. Some examples are a Winter 

Wonderland at a skating rink, Thanksgiving celebration, Mr. Al concert, Health Fair, Mobile 

Literacy Program; Bess the Book Bus, on-site Lending Library, Painting with Parents, and 

Make and Take Math games. 

 

ABC Rules and Regulation 6.02: Any program funded through ABC shall work in collaboration 

with DCCECE, ADE, local businesses and other early childhood providers (school districts, 

educational cooperatives, Head Start, HIPPY, private and non-profit providers, etc.) to ensure 

that all eligible children are served in the most suitable environment. Regulation 9.01: All 

ABC classroom programs shall satisfy the requirements specified in The Child Care Licensing 

Act, Ark. Code Ann. 20-78-201 through 224 and rules and regulations enacted pursuant to 

these sections. 

 

Through DHS, ABC, and ECERS-3 standards for health and safety are set for pre-K 

classrooms. Audits by each program keep staff accountable for these standards. All 

programs maintain high ratings in Better Beginnings and ECERS-3. Developmental 

Screenings are completed prior to the child entering the program. 

 

All children are screened for vision and hearing. Dental screenings are provided through local 

dentists and hygienists for all children. The local Educational Cooperatives assist with 

referrals for mental and behavioral concerns in children. The family service managers assist 

with screenings. All staff are trained in First Aid and CPR. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA 

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot.

The enrollment at the end of Program Year 3 was 97% enrollment. 

The State enrolled 97% of the funded slots with a total of 2,872 eligible children. 

 

 Improvement Expansion 

PDG Funds $2,460 $7,830 
ED 524B Page 21 of 28

Local Match (40%) $1,640 $5,220 

State Funded Preschool (SFP) $4,860 

SFP Local Match (40%) $3,240 

(Per-child allocation) 

Total Cost Per Slot $12,200 $13,050 
ED 524B Page 22 of 28

3. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (Selection Criteria E 

of the application) 

Describe the extent to which the State has collaborated with each Subgrantee to ensure that each 

Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria E 

(1-9) of the application) and how the State ensures strong partnerships between each Subgrantee 

and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate.

Teams support seamless transitions and long-term success of PreK and kindergarten 

between early learning settings, promoting collaborative relationships, and engaging in 

constructive data sharing initiatives. In addition to coordination of programs at the communitylevel, efforts have been made to include early childhood education staff in joint professional 

development and leadership opportunities. Joint professional development has allowed 

teachers to benefit from ongoing access to a highly qualified facilitator as well as the 

opportunity to receive feedback, advice, and support from their peers. Each team must have 

representatives in the categories as follows: PreK director and teacher; ABC teacher; Child 

Care (CCDF/voucher); Head Start; infant/toddler; Home Visiting; Special Education; principal; 

K teacher; and parent. The final funded Annual Collaborating for School Readiness Summit 

was held in October 2017. A small grant of approximately $1500 per team was made 

available to the School Readiness Teams via the Kellogg Foundation, to assist in supporting 

coordination and community collaboration on a team decided project. Additional details are 

provided in Section 4 Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum. 

 

PDG program specialist and the PDG program manager provide ongoing technical 

assistance, assist in examining data and developing improvement plans, and encourage 

participation in appropriate professional developmental opportunities to include the Annual 

State Funded/PDG Coordinators Training. 

 

One of the most frequent TA request is providing assistance in working with children and their 

families regarding challenging behaviors/behavioral management. On July 1, 2016, Arkansas 

DHS/Division of Child Care and Early Education (DCCECE) launched and continues to utilize 

the statewide program, BehaviorHelp, to provide support for child care providers to address 

and seek resolution for children who experience challenging behaviors. The purpose is to 

reduce suspensions and expulsions of young children and enhance their social and emotional 

development. 

 

BehaviorHelp Process as follows: 

 

1. A request form is submitted to staff in the DCCECE. It asks what behavior(s) the child 

care center or parents are noticing while the child is in the child care setting and provides 

contact information. The form is available at http://humanservices.arkansas.gov/dccece/

Pages/Child careAssistance.aspx 

 

2. DCCECE staff will contact the child care provider (or whoever submitted the form) directly 

to ask questions and learn more. 

 

3. DCCECE staff might provide a helpful tool or tip to help support the teacher and child. The 

tips are designed to help adults deal with routine behaviors that young children experience 

such as tantrums, crying, kicking, biting, etc. 

 
ED 524B Page 23 of 28

4. If more intensive assistance and support might be needed, DCCECE will make referrals to 

partner agencies that will assist teaching staff at the child care center. 

 • This could be short-term technical assistance or longer-term mental health consultation or 

both 

 •This could also involve staff training 

 

DCCECE staff, technical assistance providers and mental health consultants all work together 

to understand the behavior concerns and provide the teacher and parent with tools to support 

the child. With the help and guidance of adults, over time children can learn the social and 

emotional skills needed for school success, including how to manage their feelings and 

behaviors. 

 

Rarely there may be times when parents, teachers, technical assistance providers and 

consultants think that a child would benefit from services in a different setting. In this 

situation, the DCCECE can review the case with all parties and determine if a transition would 

be in the best interest of the child. This review must take place prior to moving the child to a 

new setting. 

 

 

 

 

4. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (Section F of the application) 

Describe progress the State has made for alignment within a birth through third grade continuum in 

activities for birth through age five programs ((F)(1)(a-b) in the NIA) and kindergarten through third 

grade ((F)(2)(a-d) in the NIA).

The State of Arkansas fosters relationship between PDG subgrantees and other early care 

and education programs to determine services currently being provided for children. 

Subgrantees are also working with their local School Readiness Teams, which were 

established in 2012, to assess and create goals for continuous quality improvement promoting 

a strong continuum of learning across state funded preschool, Head Start, home visiting, child 

care/CCDF, and public school settings. 

 

The School Readiness Teams support seamless transitions and long-term success of PreK 

and kindergarten between early learning settings, promoting collaborative relationships, and 

engaging in constructive data sharing initiatives. In addition to coordination of programs at the 

community-level, efforts have been made to include early childhood education staff in joint 

professional development and leadership opportunities. Joint professional development has 

allowed educators to benefit from ongoing access to highly qualified facilitators as well as the 

opportunity to receive feedback, advice, and support from their peers (including Conscious 

Discipline, Powerful Interactions, Strengthening Families, Caring Cafes, ECERS-3, etc.). 

 

The Teams have identified: team members and their affiliation; the top needs and challenges 

that are impacting the school readiness of young children; measurable and obtainable goals 

using the ESSA and Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards; action steps 
ED 524B Page 24 of 28

to address the identified needs and challenges building off the current work in early childhood; 

detailed time lines to complete each of the action steps; and data to measure progress for 

each goal. Teams have been working over the past several months to obtain the identified 

goals and will be expected to submit a report on the outcome and/or success. Similar to the 

collaboration and joint learning opportunities of teachers, birth-third grade efforts will also 

focus on establishing and supporting teamwork among school principals and early care and 

education directors/administrators. 

 
ED 524B Page 25 of 28

Section A: Part C - Competitive Preference Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (if included in the State's 

approved application). 

Describe the progress the State has made on its credible plan for obtaining and using non-Federal 

matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant 

period. For progress not made in this area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that 

measurable progress will be made by the end of the grant period. Please describe any changes made 

to the data reported in Table 7(a); explain if your Year 3 Target differs from the Year 3 Actual.

Year 3 (as of December 1, 2017) - 100% of the $500,000, non-Federal matching funds had 

been obtained to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan, which 

consists of Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards revision and 

implementation, Statewide Family Engagement Initiative, and the selection process to piloting 

the new Kindergarten Entry Assessment. A private family foundation in Northwest Arkansas 

has made an investment and commitment to PreK children in their locale. To date the 

foundation has made a financial commitment of $972,000 that began in 2014. It is unknown 

the longevity of this commitment. DCCECE maintains a memorandum of agreement with the 

foundation to ensure the quality of the program through ongoing monitoring and technical 

assistance. Two of the PDG programs are eligible for these additional funds. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting the Continuum of Early Learning and 

Development (if included in the State's approved application). 

Describe progress made in creating a more seamless progression of supports and interventions from 

birth through third grade, such as high-quality infant and toddler care, home visitation, full-day 

kindergarten, and before and after care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of eligible children 

and their families within each high need community served by each Subgrantee. For progress not 

made in these areas, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be 

made by the end of the grant period.

The State of Arkansas continues to foster the relationships between PDG subgrantees and 

other early care and education programs to determine where children birth-5 are currently 

being served. Subgrantees work with their local School Readiness Teams to assess and 

create goals for continuous quality improvement promoting a strong continuum of learning 

across state funded preschool, Head Start, home visiting, child care/CCDF, and public school 

settings. The School Readiness Teams support transitions between early learning settings, 

promoting collaborative relationships, and engaging in constructive data sharing initiatives. 

 

The School Readiness Teams support seamless transitions and long-term success of Pre-K 

and Kindergarten between early learning settings, promoting collaborative relationships, and 

engaging in constructive data sharing initiatives. In addition to coordination of programs at the 

community-level, efforts have been made to include early childhood education staff in joint 

professional development and leadership opportunities. Joint professional development has 

allowed teachers to benefit from ongoing access to highly qualified facilitators as well as the 

opportunity to receive feedback, advice, and support from their peers. 

 

Similar to the collaboration and joint learning opportunities of teachers, birth-third grade efforts 

will also focus on establishing and supporting teamwork among school principals and early 

care and education directors/ administrators. 

 
ED 524B Page 26 of 28

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High Quality State Preschool Slots (if included 

in the State's approved application). 

Describe progress made in using at least 50% of the State's federal grant award to create new State 

Preschool Program slots that will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool 

Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. For progress not made in this 

area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be made by the 

end of the grant period.

As of December 1, 2017, the State of Arkansas met 97% of the target for new high-quality 

preschool program slots. The State will implement new strategies, focused on the recruitment 

and enrollment of children, for the school year 2018-2019 to ensure that 100% of the new 

high-quality preschool slots are utilized for children in high need communities. 

 

74% of the Preschool Development Grant in the amount of $10,672,290 has been allocated 

for the expansion of high-quality preschool slots
ED 524B Page 27 of 28

Section B: Budget Information

Budget and Sustainability (Section G in the application) 

1. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies between the State's approved budget and 

its total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that have not been expended or 

obligated from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

The state requested and received approval to carry over funds to the next year. 

Subgrantees did not invoice for the full allotted amount due to being unable to fulfill awarded 

slots. As a result, unused slots were reallocated to programs with a waiting list of eligible 4 

year olds and for the provision of summer services. 

 

In some cases, Subgrantees utilized other funding sources to support the preschool services 

such as CCDF, ABC, National School Lunch, and in some cases Title 1 funds, were used 

until later in the school year. 

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development 

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018).

No substantive changes are anticipated to the budget at this time.

3. Describe the State's progress on its plan for sustainability at the end of the grant period to ensure 

that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs 

in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

DCCECE is working collaboratively with a steering committee supported by private 

foundations and comprised of partners including parents, educators, civic leaders, business 

professionals and policy makers who are committed to helping every Arkansas student 

graduate prepared for success in college and the workplace. The committee has developed 

recommendations aimed at dramatically improving student achievement, closing the 

achievement gap and making Arkansas a leading state in education. Currently, the committee 

is exploring additional funding to support voluntary, high-quality PreK to all children in the 

state and is working daily to move the initiative forward. The belief of this group is to make 

sure our students start their academic career ahead and stay ahead from the beginning. It is 

known that children, who have a strong start, become educated, productive members of the 

workforce. 

 

During the 2017 Legislative Session, a proposal to obtain financial support to expand early 

childhood education services was pursued but could not gain the necessary support. Three 

million dollars were appropriated to assist with the support of qualified teachers, teacher 

education, and early childhood innovation. 
ED 524B Page 28 of 28

4. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies, if any, between the Subrecipients' 

approved budgets and their total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that 

have not been expended or obligated from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

The subgrantee program year operates in the state fiscal year from July 1 to June 30, 

therefore it is necessary to reconcile the difference between the state fiscal year [July-June] 

as compared to the end of year reporting for the PDG being January to December. 

Representatives for each of the sixteen subgrantees attended training and guidance for the 

new procurement requirements for submission of invoices and budget reports. As a result of 

the training and procedures, timely processing of invoices and payments has become a 

nonissue. 

 

Although training/ guidance was provided to the subgrantees on budget management, funds 

were remaining at the end of 2017 resulting in a carry over for 2018. The carry over was due 

to change in the PDG state administrator vacancy for 4 months, turnover of subgrantee 

personnel, relinquish of slots mid-year, relinquish of a PDG program and reallocating this out 

to other PDG subgrantees. A carry over of funds request was submitted and approved 

September 2017.