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Preschool & pre-K

Preschools & Pre-K in Arkansas

Many preschools in Arkansas take part in Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) / Arkansas Better Chance for School Success (ABCSS), for 3- and 4-year-olds.

preschools and pre-K programs listed
1,478
towns
278
towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
117
of all Arkansas daycares
67%

Map of Arkansas: each dot is a town with preschools and pre-K programs, sized by how many are listed

Preschool & pre-K
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record lists preschool-age children among the ages it serves or names a state pre-K program, or it says it offers pre-K, or its name says preschool, pre-K or nursery school. Public school pre-K classes are often not on child care license lists; check with your school district too.A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

Preschool and pre-K

Pre-K and preschool costs in Arkansas

preschools here take part in Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) / Arkansas Better Chance for School Success (ABCSS)
409
By the Arkansas license record. It is for 3- and 4-year-olds.
of preschool websites mention part-time or half-day places
8.5%
Of the 528 websites we read for preschools in Arkansas, 8.5% mention part-time places and 6.2% mention full-time care. Ask which days and hours a place covers.

Arkansas

Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in Arkansas

Little Rock133 preschoolsSpringdale58 preschoolsJonesboro51 preschoolsBentonville45 preschoolsFayetteville45 preschoolsFort Smith42 preschoolsNorth Little Rock42 preschoolsRogers38 preschoolsHot Springs32 preschoolsConway30 preschoolsPine Bluff27 preschoolsRussellville24 preschools

Programs

Programs in Arkansas

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares2,215
Take infants963
Child care centers2,027
Accept subsidy890
In-home daycares188
Christian & church daycares185
Montessori schools38
Preschools & pre-K1,478
Night daycare32
Early morning daycare460
Weekend daycare39
Part-time daycare48
Drop-in daycare13
After-school care617
Bilingual daycare13
Head Start236

The Arkansas state record

Arkansas Office of Early Childhood licenses daycares in Arkansas.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
Every visit the state publishes back to 2023
Cited rules
Each cited rule, in the state's own wording
Search the Arkansas state records

Before you enroll

Choosing a preschool or pre-K in Arkansas

  1. 1

    Ask about the day

    Ask how the day runs: free play, circle time, outdoor time and naps. Ask what children do to get ready for kindergarten.

  2. 2

    Half day or full day

    Many preschools run half days or school-year hours. If you work full time, ask about before- and after-care.

  3. 3

    Ask about cost

    Ask for the tuition, the registration fee and whether the state's pre-K or child care assistance can pay part of it.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license, the ages it serves and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Arkansas

Cost, inspections and ratios in Arkansas

What Arkansas inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they meanStaff-to-child ratios in ArkansasHow many children each adult may care forTour checklist for ArkansasQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 278 Arkansas towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z

A11 towns
B24 towns
C22 towns
D13 towns
E9 towns
F9 towns
G13 towns
H26 towns
I1 town
J7 towns
K2 towns
L16 towns
M33 towns
N7 towns
O6 towns
P23 towns
Q1 town
R9 towns
S18 towns
T7 towns
U1 town
V6 towns
W13 towns
Y1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

Texas13,150 preschoolsTennessee2,962 preschoolsLouisiana2,490 preschoolsOklahoma2,489 preschoolsMissouri2,217 preschoolsMississippi137 preschools

Questions

Questions about preschools and pre-K in Arkansas

How many preschools and pre-K programs are in Arkansas?

1,478 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 278 Arkansas towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

Which Arkansas town has the most preschools and pre-K programs?

Little Rock, with 133 listed. Next are Springdale (58) and Jonesboro (51).

What is the difference between preschool and pre-K?

Pre-K is the year before kindergarten, usually for 4-year-olds, and many states fund free or low-cost pre-K. Preschool is the wider term for programs for children of about 3 to 5. Many daycares run both, and this list has both.

How does state pre-K work in Arkansas?

Arkansas runs Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) / Arkansas Better Chance for School Success (ABCSS), for 3- and 4-year-olds. Ask each preschool how to enroll and what it costs.

What age is pre-K?

Pre-K is usually for children who turn 4 by a cutoff date in late summer or early fall, the year before kindergarten. Each state sets its own cutoff.

What is the difference between preschool and daycare?

A preschool teaches children of about 3 to 5 before kindergarten, often for part of the day. A daycare looks after children while parents work, often all day, and many daycares run a preschool room. This list has both: places whose state record serves preschool-age children, that offer pre-K on their own website, or that are named a preschool.

Who licenses daycares in Arkansas?

Arkansas Office of Early Childhood licenses daycares in Arkansas. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.