Arkansas has a child care Quality Rating and Improvement System called Better Beginnings.  For child care providers that participate, it’s a commitment to quality above and beyond licensing requirements. Providers are awarded ratings from 1 to 6 in areas such as developmentally-appropriate practice, professional development, and family engagement. It’s a journey for continuous quality improvement and providers are supported through coaching and other means to advance levels in Better Beginnings. 

Child care providers who want to care for children whose care is paid for through the School Readiness Assistance Program must participate in Better Beginnings at level 2 or higher.

Choosing Child Care

Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions parents make for their children. Check out Choosing a Child Care Center (Look, Listen, & Ask) and Choosing a Family Child Care Home (Look, Listen, & Ask).  Child Care Aware of America has checklists for parents looking for child care so that parents can be educated consumers:

Child Care Center Checklist
Family Child Care Home Checklist

Better Beginnings provides parents with a way to differentiate among the quality of child care settings.  It’s hard to find child care.  It’s even harder to know how to compare child care programs and understand the quality of the settings. Better Beginnings is designed to take the guess work out of looking for quality child care for parents.

Parent Resource: Download 5 Good Reasons to Choose Better Beginnings’ High-Quality Child Care Providers

Child Care Quality

Choosing Child Care

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