ARKANSAS BETTER CHANCE PROGRAM - ABC

The Arkansas Better Chance Grant Program was initially awarded to The Learning Center of North Arkansas in 1993 for seventeen children at our Berryville campus.  Since that time, we have added twenty more children to our Green Forest campus for a total of thirty-seven children who are currently receiving services.

Children are eligible for the ABC program based on the following criteria:  parental income, parent did not finish high school, low birth weight baby, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, or in foster care.

The ABC program allows the Center to hire an Early Childhood Certified Teacher, licensed by the Arkansas Department of Education to work directly with young children three to five years of age.  A Child Development Associate certified paraprofessional also works alongside the Certified Teacher in the classroom.  Students have a designated curriculum, follow a daily schedule, participate in outdoor play and receive breakfast, lunch and snacks.  All of these services are at no cost to the families. 

The ABC program is a Level 3 Better Beginnings program, licensed by the Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing division.  They are evaluated yearly by ASU Childcare Services with the ECERS (Early Childcare Environmental Rating Scale).  Most recently, the Berryville program scored a 6.1 which is an excellent score.