Jefferson County
Excel by Eight in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, E8’s newest member community, is led by Cathi Swan at the Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative. The steering committee has been formalized and includes representatives from K-12 education, health, home visiting, business, philanthropy, and higher education.
In 2023, the local steering committee will launch the research phase of the E8 process, gathering community input on priority areas by hosting data walk events and talking with parents, educators, service providers, and other stakeholders who work on behalf of families with children ages 0-8.
Data walks are gallery-style presentations of statistics related to boxes on the E8 resource grid. Excel by Eight presents initial data to participants and asks them to react. This helps us better understand where children are excelling and where we may need to shore up local resources.
Snapshot
East-central Arkansas, bisected by the Arkansas River
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas College
Leading producer of cotton, soybeans, rice, poultry, and timber
Trade, entertainment, recreation, and health care center for Southeast Arkansas
Steering Committee
Chair
Cathi Swan, Chair, Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative
Committee Members
Peter Austin, Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Jennifer Barbaree, Pine Bluff School District
Dr. Steven Bloomberg, Southeast Arkansas College
Dr. Kimberly Davis, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Jason Duren, United Way of Southeast Arkansas
Sherri James, Southeast Arkansas Behavioral Healthcare System
Angela Lopez, Arkansas Department of Human Services
Dr. Sarper Turker, Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools
Chad Pitillo, Simmons Bank
Allison Thompson, Jefferson County Alliance
Dr. Gary Williams, White Hall School District
Tom Wilson, Watson Chapel School District
Read more about E8 Communities
Horatio School District, public libraries partnering to provide free summer meals to children in southwest Arkansas
Excel by Eight’s Sevier County Steering Committee and the Horatio School District are partnering with No Kid Hungry to offer free summer meals to children under the age of 18.
Excel by Eight hosts Spring 2023 Learning Community
Excel by Eight hosted its semiannual Learning Community at the end of April, bringing together more than 50 people from its six communities to share network connections, celebrate accomplishments, and discuss resources that can move their local community development plans forward and help children thrive.
Independence County: Building Brains in Preschoolers One Conversation at a Time
Preschools in Independence County have adopted innovative technology to support early brain development. LENA – short for Language ENvironment Analysis – is a professional development opportunity for early childhood educators that uses cloud-based software and a small, wearable device – often referred to as a “talk pedometer” – to measure and increase conversational turns that happen between a child and an adult caregiver.