The Strengthening Families Initiative in Arkansas has been linked from the start to systems and policy
change. The leadership team for the state Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Initiative has
served as the leadership team for SFI. As a result, leaders of the ECCS have sought to embed the
principles and concepts from Strengthening Families into the systems changes proposed in their work.
One primary example of systems development in Arkansas involves the establishment of a Quality Rating
System which seeks to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early care and education
settings. Nationally, there are five common elements to most quality rating systems: standards,
accountability, program and practitioner outreach and support, financing incentives specifically linked to
compliance with quality standards and parent education. Using these guidelines, it is possible to build a
quality rating system and fail to assess the effectiveness of early care and education programs in working
with families. As stated in the Strengthening Families program guidebook, “high-quality care doesn’t
necessarily reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect unless it includes specific strategies designed
to work with families in particular ways.”1 Leaders in Arkansas SFI and ECCS wished to avoid this
shortcoming. Lynn Kagan recommends that “accreditation systems should infuse their requirements with
an orientation toward CAN prevention, as evidenced by measurable criteria that can be used to determine
if programs are meeting CAN prevention objectives . . . such criteria should address all the protective
factors.”2
The Strengthening Families program self-assessment tool reinforces the protective factors by measuring
how programs are implementing seven specific strategies. Arkansas SFI and ECCS leaders have been
successful in including training (at mid-levels) and implementation (at higher levels) of this tool as an
integral part of the proposed quality rating system plan. In February 2006, the Alliance for Children’s
Trust Funds issued an RFP to assist states in implementing Strengthening Families. Arkansas was
awarded one of the nine $25,000 grants, and with matching funds from Arkansas Department of Health
and Human Services, Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education and the Arkansas Children’s
Trust Fund was able to leverage the funding to develop an on-line training module that will enable early
care and education programs to fully utilize the Strengthening Families self-assessment tool. The national
Zero To Three organization is a partner in the project, as the training is based on their curriculum teaching
programs to utilize the five protective factors and seven program strategies of Strengthening Families
Through Early Care and Education.
The DHHS Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education is supporting the training of a core
team that will be trained during early 2007 to deliver the Zero To Three Preventing Child Abuse and
Neglect: Parent-Provider Partnerships in Child Care. Arkansas has already developed guidelines for
quality through its Framework For Infant and Toddler Care. However, a network of infant/toddler
specialists is a critical need that has not yet been met. It is hoped that this core team will eventually be
expanded and help to form the foundation for such a network in Arkansas.
1
Center for the Study of Social Policy, Strengthening Families Through Early Care & Education. Protecting Children By
Strengthening Families: A Guidebook For Early Childhood Programs. April, 2004, p.14.
2
Center for the Study of Social Policy, Strengthening Families Through Early Care & Education. Advancing Child Abuse
and Neglect Protective Factors: the role of the early care and education infrastructure. P.19.