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DHS: COVID‑19 forced closures, staffing strain and CARES Act funds expanded emergency childcare
Summary
Arkansas Department of Human Services reported pandemic-driven intermittent and permanent childcare closures, staffing shortages, and use of roughly $41 million in CARES Act CCDF funds to pay programs, reimburse pandemic costs and expand slots for essential workers; several funding lines may be at capacity.
Tanya Williams, director at the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, briefed the committee on the pandemic’s effect on child care and the state’s emergency funding response.
Williams said Arkansas licensed about 2,000 programs in March and had capacity to serve roughly 194,000 children. The pandemic prompted both temporary and permanent closures—20 programs have closed permanently (13 centers and 7 family homes), removing approximately 1,053 seats and serving roughly 1,000 children…
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