About Excel by Eight | Increasing children’s health and education outcomes in Arkansas

Children playing with colorful blocks in a classroom setting, fostering creativity and learning.

A child learning shapes with a teacher, highlighting interactive early education.

Child balancing on a play structure, developing motor skills through play.

A smiling young girl sitting on the classroom floor, illustrating Excel by Eight’s dedication to joyful early learning in Arkansas.

Child engaged in an art activity, encouraging creativity and self-expression.

Teacher interacting with an infant during playtime, promoting early development.

Children participating in early education programs in Arkansas.

Teacher giving a high-five to a child, celebrating achievements in learning.

Every child in Arkansas deserves a strong start, but not every child starts in the same place.

A strong start means education and health outcomes are not determined by barriers related to age, disability, gender, income, race/ethnicity, geography, or community resources.

Family, community, and policymakers play a vital role in ensuring a strong start is available for every child.

Our vision is that Arkansas is a state where all children have a strong start to reach their full potential. 

Our mission is to improve health and education outcomes for Arkansas children from prenatal to age 8. To accomplish this, we partner with and invest in local communities, impact public policy at the state level, and build public support around the importance of the earliest years of a child’s life.

Our Commitments

Excel by Eight is a network of hundreds of individuals and organizations focused on increasing Arkansas children’s health and education outcomes. We are committed to strengthening resource grids statewide by building local models for change, identifying and resolving policy barriers, and enhancing public understanding of early childhood development.

Meet Our Team

Board of Directors

Linsley Kinkade Chief Program Officer, Arkansas Community Foundation

Marquita Little NuMan Executive Director, Partnership for America’s Children

Dr. Chad Rodgers Pediatrician, Little Rock Pediatric Clinic; Chief Medical Officer, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care

The E8 Network

The Family Advisor Council is a diverse group of parent and family leaders across Arkansas who advise, collaborate, and lead efforts that support the mission and vision of Excel by Eight. Excel by Eight's Family Advisor Council lends their authentic voices as parent leaders in sharing lived experiences, engaging others, and informing solution-oriented strategies to ensure a strong start is available for every child.