A half dozen toddlers are very busy this morning inside Little Lions Child Development Centeron the University of Arkansas -Fort Smith campus preparing food in a toy kitchen, reading books and cuddling stuffed animals and baby dolls.
Shelli Henehan, a professor in the School of Education directs the early childhood education program at the college. She worked with key colleagues to establish this on-campus center, which opened mid-August.
“It’s actually been a dream of many people for a very long time," she said. "They used to have a childcare center here in the 70s and 80s. But lots of people have wanted this and 'Arkansas Build Back Better' funds made it possible for us.”
The college was awarded nearly $1.1 million ARPA Childcare Supply Building Grant dollars in partnership with the Arkansas Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Development to renovate one story of the Echols complex on campus, a proposal Henehan authored.
"This is the toddler room where we serve 18 months to three year olds," Henehan said, walking through the facility. "The ratio is one teacher to seven toddlers. We hope to have two teachers and 14 toddlers in this room eventually.”
The mission of Little Lions is different from a traditional private childcare center, she said.
“I'm sure that most childcare centers are all about the developmental needs of the child," she said. "But for us, it's also about providing a safe space for students who are parents who would like to go back to school to obtain a degree and provide for their families. That’s our number one mission is to provide childcare for the students.”
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Arkansas ranks among the top five states for the number of families struggling to access quality child care. Making matters worse is that institutional childcare funding provided by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic will end this month, resulting in a "childcare cliff," experts say, for more than 3.2 million American infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Little Lions is positioned to help fill that gap, although Henehan said fees are higher compared to conventional private daycare. But the resources provided to infants and preschool children are a key investment in their futures.
“We align every activity to Arkansas Child Development Early Learning Standards," she said. "It covers nine domains of a child's life and the very first domain is social and emotional because we're all about providing that to set them up for success in the future. There’s also the cognitive and physical wellness. We really want to make sure the children feel valued and respected, that they feel loved.”
Henehan said this first year’s annual operating budget is more than a half million dollars. For example, the preschool contains art, discovery and pretend centers, plus lots of books to encourage a love of reading.
“Everything should be play based," Henehan said. "At this age we know that children learn through play so we make sure they have every chance they can to to develop skills through what is perceived as play, we want it to be fun!”
A spacious tree-shaded playground provides amusement and opportunities for infants and toddlers. UAFS student Kenzie Reid gently tickles a shy child to get her to engage. Nearby other children toss dust into the air with tiny plastic shovels and rakes.
Zoe Lunsford is lead Pre-K teacher at Little Lions which is certified under the state Department of Human Services Division of Child Care and Education’s “Better Beginnings” program.
“I have three to four year olds, and so with "Arkansas Better Beginnings' we go off the 'Adventures of Learning Curriculum'," Lunsford said. "So everything we do is very child-centered and very good for their developmental growth. And it's so exciting to get to work with that age group and just watch them grow throughout the year."
Taking a seat in Little Lions staff quarters, Shelli Henehan said students pursuing degrees in early childhood education can be rewarded for working at the center in collaboration with the College of Health, Education and Human Sciences.
“So for student childcare providers if they're working 30 hours in the center, they can qualify for the 'Teach Scholarship,'" Henehan said. "That’s provided by the Arkansas Early Childhood Association and it's an acronym that stands for 'Teacher Education and Compensation Helps'. It pays for 90 percent of all their costs including tuition, fees, books — everything.”
Henehan said early child development majors are passionate about their vocation.
“It’s almost universal, they love children," she said. "I mean everybody in the early childhood field, if you ask them what their motivation is for teaching, it's children. They want to help them develop appropriately, they want to make a difference in the life of the child. Perhaps they have fond memories of a preschool teacher or a kindergarten teacher. Everybody who pursues an early childhood degree I could almost guarantee it would be because they love children.”
The Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center at the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville accepts infants at eight weeks and children up to five years old. It too serves as a research facility for faculty and students. But according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the number of on-campus child development facilities has declined precipitously in recent years, primarily due to operational costs. To countervail that trend, Henehan says she researched college childcare centers' best practices when establishing Little Lions.
“The honest truth? It's very expensive, and there aren't very many out there," she said. "So we were very thankful that our administration believed in this process.”
Fort Smith Public Schools facilitates services for children with disabilities enrolled in Little Lions, Henehan said. But having adept college students working at the center with all the children is most valuable.
“They're very engaged with the children," she said. "They're down on the childrens' level. They're all about meeting that child's need. So it's really a nice group. We have some lovely students that are working with us right now."
Henehan steps outside once more into the preschool playground, where she points to a storage building for tricycles and outdoor gear.
“You can see we have a porch built onto it," she said. "The porch is used for dramatic play, a stage, for the preschoolers."
Preschoolers who may one day enroll at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith.
