At noon Sept. 19, Arkansas child-care providers logged onto a Zoom meeting expecting good news from the Arkansas Department of Education. Instead, they were blindsided: In just one week, the state would slash funding for the School Readiness Assistance (SRA) Program.

This decision will make child care for thousands of Arkansas families less affordable, strain providers already operating on razor-thin margins, and risk shutting down programs that working parents rely on every day.

For families and providers, the timing could not be worse. The changes were set to take effect Oct. 1, giving parents and child-care centers little time to prepare.

In 2024, Arkansas made progress by eliminating co-pays for families earning........

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