State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Arkansas

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Arkansas could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $28,345 (155 percent of poverty, 62 percent of state median income).¹

•    Waiting list: Arkansas had approximately 15,000 children on the waiting list for child care assistance as of August 2010, an increase from 2,727 children on the waiting list as of February 2010.

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $102 per month, or 7 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $407 per month, or 18 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Arkansas’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were at the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.² 

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Arkansas did not pay higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Arkansas allowed parents to qualify for or continue receiving child care assistance for up to 45 days while searching for a job.³  

¹This income limit takes into account a $100-per-month deduction ($1,200 a year) that is allowed for an adult household member who works at least 30 hours per week. It is assumed there is one working parent. The stated income limit, in policy, was $27,145 in 2010.
²Reimbursement rates have not changed since 2006; however, a market rate survey has been conducted each year and reimbursement rates still fall within the 75th percentile.
³In addition to the 45 days a parent may receive child care assistance while searching for a job, a one-time extension of 15 consecutive calendar days may be granted if needed to secure employment. A handwritten statement listing job contacts or documentation of the job search must be provided in order to receive the extension.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.