Union County
Excel by Eight in Union County
Union County’s strong reputation for philanthropy is seen in the Excel by Eight steering committee led by the SHARE Foundation and United Way. A true spirit of collaboration has brought key groups serving families together to identify gaps and improve connections on their local resource grid. The Union County steering committee, launched in March 2021, is focused on identifying key stakeholders, reviewing relevant data and gaining public input on setting goals and priorities for Excel by Eight.
One data point included in the review is the Early Development Instrument (EDI). The EDI is a population measure of how young children are developing based on the five domains of early childhood development: physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills; and communication skills and general knowledge. Kindergarten teachers in each school district completed the assessment for their students.
Snapshot
Located on southern state border
Major industries include oil and gas and chemicals
Home to Murphy Arts District, an arts and entertainment district in downtown El Dorado
Largest county in Arkansas, in terms of square miles
Steering Committee
Alexis Alexander, United Way of Union County
Gloria Billings, Department of Human Services/Division of Children and Family Services
Wanda Corney, Parents as Teachers
Heidi Klappenbach, Family Connects/Medical Center of South Arkansas
Debbie McAdams, El Dorado School District
Beth Ann Petlak, Arkansas Children’s
Isaura Pulido, Centro Cristiano Hispano
Kaitlyn Rigdon, El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce
Tequila Smith, FACT, Inc.
Carla Sparks, Arkansas Children’s
Alison Stone, Family Connects/Medical Center of South Arkansas
Kimberly Thomas, Strong-Huttig School District
Amy Triplet, Family Connects/Medical Center of South Arkansas
Debbie Watts, SHARE Foundation
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