Little Rock, Arkansas, October 14, 2025—Teach Plus Arkansas issued this statement following recent changes to the School Readiness Assistance program:
Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders are deeply concerned about the proposed changes to Arkansas’s School Readiness Assistance program that would limit access to quality childcare for working families. The changes would eliminate zero co-payment benefits for families earning between 40-75% of state median income and flatten reimbursement rates for providers, undermining the quality-based childcare system which more than 16,000 children in Arkansas rely on. If we are serious about the ambitious goals set by the LEARNS Act—especially 3rd grade literacy—we must first ensure children arrive in kindergarten with a strong foundation and ready to learn.
Teach Plus teacher leaders see firsthand how access to stable, quality childcare shapes students’ readiness to learn. When children lack consistent care, they arrive in classrooms less prepared to regulate emotions, work with peers, and engage with curriculum. Families without stable childcare are also more likely to keep children home, exacerbating Arkansas’s already severe chronic absenteeism problem. These gaps compound over time, creating achievement disparities that are difficult to close.
“When families lose stable childcare, we lose critical time to build a child’s emotional and academic foundation. By the time these children reach a kindergarten classroom, they’ve already lost ground that’s incredibly difficult to make up. These gaps directly undermine the investments that LEARNS makes in literacy and chronic absenteeism efforts later in a student’s career,” said Cara Maxwell, a preK teacher at L.C. Knapp Elementary in Springdale, Arkansas, and 2025-26 Teach Plus Arkansas Executive Senior Policy Fellow.
“I can tell within the first week of school which of my students had access to quality early childcare. The difference isn’t just academic—it’s my students’ ability to work with others, manage their emotions, and believe they can learn,” said Juanita I. Harris, a kindergarten teacher at Harmony Academy of Music and the Arts in Texarkana, Arkansas, and Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellowship alumna.
“Quality care is essential for student success, and these changes will impact the students we serve,” said Stacey McAdoo, Executive Director of Teach Plus Arkansas. “Teachers closest to students understand that what happens in the early years determines readiness for kindergarten and beyond. Access to quality childcare is not just a family issue—it’s an educational imperative that shapes children’s ability to succeed in school.”
Research consistently shows that every dollar invested in childcare and early learning produces significant, life-long returns for students. Teach Plus Arkansas teacher leaders call on state lawmakers to prioritize funding for quality early childcare that supports working families in the state. Early childhood care deserves the same commitment Arkansas makes to K-12 education—ensuring all children have access to the foundation they need to succeed. We cannot afford to undermine the very foundation of school readiness. After all, stable, quality early care is the essential first step toward achieving the promise of LEARNS.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. https://teachplus.org/ar
