Leveling Up Child Care in Little Rock
Para leer la traducción al español de este blog, desplácese hasta la mitad de la página. For families in southwest Little Rock, finding affordable, high-quality child care close to home is a challenge. For Spanish-speaking families, the options are even more limited. Leticia Rodriguez, director of Lovely Sunshine Learning Center, has been with the dual-language […]
Doula Alliance of Arkansas Forms to Improve State’s Maternal Health Outcomes
Collaborative initiative seeks an executive director After months of behind-the-scenes planning and preparation, the Doula Alliance of Arkansas is ready to begin its collaborative effort to improve maternal health outcomes in Arkansas. The initiative aims to advance the profession of birth work through advocacy and education, improve access to high-quality doula services statewide, and provide […]
AAIMH honors Angela Duran with inaugural Outstanding Contributor Award
Excel by Eight was honored to participate in the Arkansas Association for Infant Mental Health’s (AAIMH) annual conference in Little Rock. This year’s theme, “Small Steps, Big Impact: Advancing Solutions for Young Children with Trauma,” highlighted the crucial role of prenatal care and the first three years of life in fostering healthy social-emotional development. Celebrating its […]
Strengthening the Grid 2023
Click here to download Strengthening the Grid 2023
Lessons from the Top: Q&A with Jamie Ward
May is both National Physical Fitness and Sports Month as well as Mental Health Awareness Month. To commemorate these observances, Excel by Eight is highlighting an inspiring story of personal achievement and perseverance featuring none other than our colleague, Jamie Morrison Ward. As the founder and president of Curricula Concepts Inc. and managing partner of […]
Excel by Eight hosts Spring 2024 Learning Community
Excel by Eight hosted its semiannual Learning Community at the end of April, bringing together 50 people from its local communities to MISO in Little Rock to share network connections, celebrate accomplishments, and discuss resources that can move their local community development plans forward and help children thrive. Day 1 Recap: Thursday, April 25 On the first […]
Candace’s Story: The Impact of Doula Support during Pregnancy and Childbirth
At Excel by Eight, one of our goals is to ensure that all women receive complete, high-quality preconception, prenatal, and postpartum care. Candace’s experience highlights the importance of doula support in advocating for patients’ voices to be heard during childbirth. She shares how her doula, Nicolle Fletcher, provided crucial support during Candace’s challenging 36-hour labor, […]
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs executive order forming a steering committee to improve maternal health in Arkansas
Today, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order to create the Arkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health. Excel by Eight looks forward to working alongside this steering committee to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies across the state. For every 100,000 babies born in Arkansas from 2018-2021, about 43.5 mothers died of pregnancy-associated complications. This is the […]
Child Care Assistance Program expands to early childhood educators
Child care workers in Arkansas are now eligible to participate in the state’s Child Care Assistance Program. The Arkansas Department of Education receives a Child Care Development Block Grant totaling more than $100 million each year from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Care. These funds provide child care assistance […]
Arkansas Employers, Chambers of Commerce Join Forces to Tackle State’s Child care Crisis
Workforce participation a priority for Excel by Eight business coalition LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Jan. 30, 2024) – A statewide business coalition tasked with tackling Arkansas’s child care crisis convened for the first time on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Supply Chain Hall of Fame in Rogers. Since 2020, Excel by Eight (E8) has mobilized Arkansas businesses to […]
