Bentonville looks to retain staff with preschool, child care offerings
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Bentonville Public Schools is the latest to add child care as a way to keep employees.
What they're saying: "We had noticed our teachers would resign if they had a baby," human resources chief operating officer Tanya Sharp told Axios, adding that it's hard to find affordable child care.
State of play: The school district is planning on offering child care for up to 40 infants and 32 toddlers, with priority given to children of district employees.
- This is in addition to the 40 new preschool spots each at Tennie Russell and R.E. Baker that also gives to children of district employees.
The big picture: Preschool offerings vary widely between school districts. Generally, a limited number of spots are free to students whose families' income puts them 200% below the poverty line.
- Fayetteville Public Schools has 140 free slots for 4-year-olds that are all full this year, spokesperson Alan Wilbourn confirmed. The district does not offer paid slots.
- Springdale has 1,080 spots, including free, sliding scale and fully paid ones for 3- and 4-year-olds.
- Rogers offers 360 spaces for 4-year-olds, also on a free, sliding scale or fully paid basis depending on income, spokesperson Jason Ivester told Axios. A fully paid space costs $507 a month.
What's new: Bentonville lowered its income-based spots at Tennie Russell from 259 to 219 this year because of a lack of children who met the income requirements, Sharp said.
- The other 40 spots remain, but are now paid. The district also has 80 free spots through its Building Bridges program and is opening another preschool program at McAuley Place with a TBD number of free, sliding scale and fully paid spots.
Zoom out: Walmart's new campus in Bentonville offers a childcare and preschool center for up to 500 employees' children to make the workday more convenient for working parents.
The intrigue: Preschool helps academically prepare children for school and improves their social skills because they interact and play with other children, Sharp said.
- Yes, but: About 54% of 3- and 4-year-olds nationally were not enrolled in preschool from 2018 to 2022, according to the most recent data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In Arkansas, the rate was 57%.
- Limited access to preschool is concerning because it's shown to reduce academic and health disparities by socioeconomic status and race, according to the foundation.