Child Care Resources

Staff Senate has gathered this collection of resources to assist staff in exploring child care options.

 

You can search for child care centers on the DCCECE website: https://dhs.arkansas.gov/dccece/cclas/facilitysearch.aspx

  • Use the search fields to narrow search results, or if you’re looking for an exhaustive list just use the City or County fields to find a list of all centers in your area.

  • If you plan to participate in the Child Care Assistance Program or Essential Child Care Assistance, you will need select “Voucher Participant” to filter your search.

  • You can click on a center name after completing your search to get more information on the center, including contact information, hours, rates and capacity.

 

More information to help you search for child care centers:

  • Arkansas Better Beginnings is an Arkansas Department of Human Services program which evaluates childcare centers and assigns a quality rating of 1, 2, or 3 stars, with 3 stars being assigned to the highest-quality facilities. Childcare centers are not required to seek Arkansas Better Beginnings evaluation. Centers which wish to participate must meet certain criteria to be assigned a Better Beginnings score, and these criteria are designed to ensure that children have safe, happy, and healthy educational experiences, focusing on their physical, socioemotional, cognitive, linguistic, and other areas of development.

  • Childcare centers which participate in the assistance (voucher) program are required to agree to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program Participant Agreement (PDF) and must complete a training and exam. Participation in the program allows them to provide child care services to children of families eligible to receive funding through the Department of Human Services (DHS). Eligible families select a child care provider from a list of eligible participants.

 

City of Fayetteville Child Care Assistance Program

A new Childcare Assistance Program is available to eligible families who live, work or go to school in Fayetteville. The program was approved at the Dec. 6, 2022, Fayetteville City Council meeting with an appropriation of $500,000 from the City’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Fayetteville’s Childcare Assistance Program will provide help for low- to moderate-income families with childcare expenses. The City’s Community Resources Department will administer and manage this program. Eligible participants may receive up to 12 monthly payments for childcare assistance, which will be made directly from the City to licensed childcare facilities in Fayetteville.

Additional Information:  https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/4248/Childcare-Assistance-Program

Income Guidelines: https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/DocumentCenter/View/27686/2022-Income-Guidelines

News Release: https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/CivicSend/ViewMessage/Message/188708

 

Arkansas Department of Human Services Child Care Assistance Program

Website: https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/divisions-shared-services/child-care-early-childhood-education/child-care-assistance/  

Eligibility

  1. Meet the established income guidelines (PDF)

  2. Each adult residing in the household must be employed at least 30 hour per week, or be enrolled and attending high school, college, GED classes, vocational school or a training program as a full time student. A combination of school and work is acceptable if the individual is involved at a minimum of 30 hours.

  3. Have an eligible child. Our program serves children from birth through 12 years of age.

 

Program Application:

https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/DCC-ESS_Application_10-01-20.pdf