BENTONVILLE - Fewer than 20 percent of day-care providers in Northwest Arkansas meet the highest standards on a nationally recognized assessment scale that measures safety, adult-to-child ratio and a variety of other elements, said Michelle Stephens, executive director of the Helen R. Walton Children's Enrichment Center of Northwest Arkansas.
A new center in Bentonville is aiming to boost that number.
Stephens cited Arkansas Department of Human Services statistics from Benton, Washington, Carroll, Sebastian and Madison counties during a luncheon Friday celebrating a new education and resource center that aims to improve day care in the region.
The Early Childhood Initiatives Center, connected to the enrichment center based in Bentonville, opens today with a preview for childcare providers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The initiatives center will provide free training, mentoring and resources to day-care providers in its five-county area. The training will include topics such as health and safety, and business development.
It's the first of its kind in the state.
"This is very important to achieve quality child care for all children," said Betty Walker, who oversees child care eligibility for the Division of Child Care and Early Education of the Human Services Department.
Officials will track the center's progress by comparing assessment scores and violations in the five-county area, said Shannon Shoptaw, chairman of the agency's board of directors.
"Obviously we want to raise the bar of early childhood education centers," she said, noting the importance of teaching professionalism to the workforce. "They're not just day-care centers or baby sitters."
The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce documented that a lack of child care available in the region affected job retention in survey results it included in its Vision 2025 report it released in November.
"There are many great day cares out there, but I think some of the professionals in the area are looking for educational services rather than baby-sitting services," said Raymond Burns, president and chief executive officer of the chamber. "I think it's a question of quantity."
The waiting list at high-quality centers is also a job recruiting deterrent, Burns said.
For example, there's a threeyear wait for infants being enrolled at the enrichment center.
Shoptaw said the waiting list has been long for years, and the agency considered building an additional early childhood center but decided instead to build the resource center in order to improve the quality of existing day cares.