First School Is a Better Beginnings school. What does that mean?
Better Beginnings is the system in Arkansas that assesses and supports quality child care. All Better Beginnings schools employ licensed and registered child care providers.
First School is a Three Star Better Beginnings Program.These are the criteria for that designation, from the Better Beginnings website:
Child Care Centers Three-Star Requirements
At Level 3, the facility continues to build quality through self-assessment, maintaining samples of the children’s learning activities, participating in reviews of the program’s quality, and sharing information with families.
The administrator
- Completes a self-assessment of the program’s support for families
- Tries new ideas to strengthen partnerships with families
Teaching staff maintain a portfolio for each child.
- A portfolio often includes samples of the children’s work, photographs, and staff notes about activities
The facility
- Shares information with families about nutrition and physical activity
- Meets or exceeds the designated score on a rating of the quality of a facility’s administrative procedures
- Meets or exceeds the required score on a rating of the program’s classroom environment and children’s activities
- Participates in a self-evaluation process regarding the program’s physical activity policies and practices, and create an action plan for improvement
Tax credit
Payments to a licensed and registered Better Beginnings program may be eligible for a refundable state tax credit called the Arkansas Early Childhood Tax Credit. This credit is available to parents who are eligible for the Federal Child Care Tax Credit.
The Arkansas Early Childhood Tax Credit is refundable. That means that if you do not owe any taxes, the credit will still be sent to you. If you owe taxes, the credit will be deducted from the amount that you owe.
Either way, this credit makes it easier for parents to choose excellent child care for their children.