Child Care Subsidies & Assistance in Arkansas

Arkansas's School Readiness Assistance covers child care up to 85% SMI, no copay below poverty. A ~1,100-child waitlist began Feb 2025. Arkansas Better Chance pre-K serves families up to 200% FPL. State CDCC is a refundable 20% of federal (Better Beginnings care only).

Data current as of May 21, 2026

Child care subsidy (CCDF) in Arkansas

Program name: School Readiness Assistance (SRA) — formerly known as the KidCare Voucher / Child Care Voucher Program
Administered by: Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Early Childhood (transferred from DHS DCCECE under the LEARNS Act)
Income ceiling: Family income up to 85% State Median Income. Priority to lowest-income working families and to children younger than school age.
Family fee / copay: Families working or in school with income at or below the state poverty level pay $0 copay. Above poverty, sliding-scale per-day copay based on family income, child age, and geographic area (statewide rate vs. Benton/Washington counties).
Waitlist status: Periodic waitlist — A waitlist began February 2025 with approximately 1,100 children. The program serves more than 16,000 children total. Foster children, families receiving TANF, families experiencing homelessness, and families with special-needs designations are exempt from the waitlist.
Apply: sra.ade.arkansas.gov/

Priority groups (served first)

Teen parents
Families experiencing homelessness
Families receiving TANF / Transitional Employment Assistance
Guardian or custodian families (may extend to 85–100% SMI)
Adoptive families (may extend to 85–100% SMI)
Child care workers (10+ hours/week at a CCDF-approved program; may extend to 85–100% SMI)
Children with special needs
Children transitioning from foster care

State pre-K in Arkansas

Program name: Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) and ABC for School Success (ABCSS)
Administered by: DESE Office of Early Childhood
Access: Income-targeted
Eligibility: Children ages 3–4 in households with income up to 200% of the federal poverty level. Additional qualifying factors under Act 504: parental education level, low birth weight, teen-parent at birth, family substance-abuse history, developmental delays, Limited English Proficiency, foster care, or IDEA eligibility.
Coverage: 20,327 children enrolled in ABC during the 2024-2025 school year. Arkansas ranks 8th nationally for 3-year-old access and 24th for 4-year-old access (NIEER 2025 Yearbook). Apply through local participating ABC sites.
Apply: dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/office-of-early-childhood/arkansas-better-chance-program-abc

State tax credits & extras in Arkansas

State CDCC: Refundable. 20% of the federal CDCC. Arkansas Early Childhood Tax Credit equals 20% of the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit, but only when the care was provided by an Arkansas Better Beginnings licensed or registered program approved by ADE. Requires Federal Form 2441 plus state Form AR1000EC. Because it's refundable, the credit pays back as cash even if you owe no Arkansas income tax.

Where to apply or get help in Arkansas

Find a daycare in Arkansas

Once you know what you qualify for, Childery's directory helps you pick a provider. Browse Arkansas's licensed daycares with independent Process and Structural quality ratings, or search by ZIP code or city.

Browse Arkansas daycares

Sources

Every state layers its own program on top of a federal floor — CCDF (the federal block grant), Head Start, the federal DCFSA (employer pre-tax benefit), and the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit. See the federal overview for what the floor looks like before any state adds.