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, ensuring her wishes were heard. Access to doula care is essential for improving outcomes for mothers and babies.
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....
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. More than half of the state’s 1,900 licensed or registered child care or early childhood facilities currently participate in the program, making thousands of child care workers employed by one of these facilities potentially eligible for assistance.
Arkansas employers, chambers of commerce join forces to tackle state’s child care crisis
Since 2020, Excel by Eight (E8) has mobilized Arkansas businesses to identify workable solutions that address the three critical elements of the child care crisis – accessibility, affordability, and quality – and its impact on the state’s current and future workforce. The formalized business coalition will meet quarterly to discuss policy goals ahead of the Arkansas State Legislature’s 2025 general session.
Jefferson County hosts Fall 2023 Learning Community
Representatives from each of Excel by Eight’s six communities came together in Pine Bluff for two days of relationship building, learning, and idea sharing at the Fall 2023 Learning Community. Thank you to the Jefferson County steering committee and the team at the Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative for being such gracious hosts!
8 Takeaways from the 2023 Excel by Eight Foundations Summit
In late October, the Excel by Eight Foundations Collaborative gathered in Little Rock with stakeholders and partners for a Summit to dive deeper into the goals and recommendations that have been developed by the collaborative’s working groups over the past year. This...
How an emphasis on early childhood helped usher in a $25 million investment for the city of Batesville
During an August 2023 special election, residents of Batesville voted overwhelmingly in favor of four ballot issues that marked a turning point for the city. These issues secured a $25 million investment for the expansion and improvement of the city’s parks and recreation facilities as well as an additional $110 million to go toward the construction of a new water treatment system. Opportunities to reshape a city’s infrastructure and enrich its social and recreational offerings without a tax increase seldom arise. But when they do, seizing these moments requires more than a stroke of luck; it demands collaboration, a willingness to learn, and data-informed planning.
Sept. 6 is National Read a Book Day! Here are some of our team’s favorites.
Excel by Eight was initially established as the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading in 2011 to ensure all children read at grade level by the end of third grade. In honor of Read a Book Day, we asked our team to share their favorite children’s books. Check out our top eight favorite recommendations!
Building a Stronger Future for Infants and Toddlers: An Update on the Excel by Eight Planning Process
It has been a year of building for Excel by Eight! Get the latest update on the comprehensive planning process underway to update our policy agenda so that we can better change systems statewide and increase resources in communities across Arkansas.
June 2023 Strengthening the Grid Newsletter
In the June 2023 issue of the Strengthening the Grid newsletter, discover how the Horatio School District and public libraries in Sevier and Little River counties are joining forces to provide free summer meals for children in southwest Arkansas. We also celebrate the remarkable achievements of our 40 Under 40 honorees.
Stay plugged in: See how Arkansas stacks up when it comes to child well-being and explore a database by Arkansas Children’s that connects families across the state with affordable services.