CRESC WEEKLY UPDATE

High-quality, accessible child care isn't just a family matter, it is a critical driver of our economy and labor force. When parents lack reliable child care, they cannot enter or stay in the workforce.

• Arkansas Labor-Force Participation: 59.4%

• U.S. Labor-Force Participation: 61.8%

• The Motherhood Penalty: Among Arkansas mothers, 69% explicitly cited child care as a primary barrier to employment.

The Bottom Line: Nearly 7 in 10 Arkansas mothers are held back from working due to child care challenges. Bridging this gap is essential to boosting labor participation, supporting local businesses, and strengthening the state's economy.

1. Focus on the 99% Who Think You Are Awesome

Open House is right around the corner, and it is going to be amazing! As you welcome families, remember to pour your heart and focus into the 99% of people who appreciate and value you. Do not give your precious energy to the 1% who simply cannot be pleased. Your peace is worth too much.

2. Your Classroom Doesn't Need to Be "Pinterest Perfect"

Social media will try to convince you that your classroom needs to look like a designer showroom. Do not go broke trying to compete with Instagram. Your room is not going to be perfect, and you will always find things you want to improve, and that is okay! Just do the best you can with what you have. Your effort, your care, and your presence are more than enough.

3. The Work Is Never Finished, Go Home!

Accept this reality right now: the endless to-do list, the laminating, the lesson prep, and the paperwork will never be completely done. Do the best you can within your hours, and then pack up and GO HOME. The work will still be waiting for you right where you left it tomorrow morning.

4. Build Relationships (But Keep It Real!)

Take the intentional time to really know your students and build strong relationships. Now, let’s be real: it is completely naive to think that having a great relationship means you will never face a behavior issue. That is false!

However, what a strong relationship does do is make your days infinitely more fun. Research consistently proves that students learn significantly better from teachers they like. When you enjoy them and they enjoy you, the classroom transforms. So let loose, smile, and have FUN IN YOUR CLASSROOM!

5. Take Time for Yourself, Two Things Can Be True

You can love teaching, be data-driven, and push for academic rigor, while simultaneously loving your weekends and fiercely protecting your time to reset. Both can be true at the exact same time! You cannot give your students the best version of you if you are running on empty. Take care of yourself, love yourself, and remember that you deserve the best version of you, too.

✨ Here's to an amazing 2026–2027 year with our children! You've got this!

Wendy Green, Local Lead Captain

Informational Provider Call- Tuesday, August 4th, 2026 @ 12:00

The Monthly Provider Calls are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 12:00 p.m. The purpose of these meetings is to provide announcements, updates, Provider highlights, etc. To attend these meetings, please register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ezj991LVT_GR2x9JRt0X4w After you register, a link to join the meeting will be emailed to you.

Hi Everyone,

This is a quick reminder that your Local Lead Team is delivering two days of FREE, impactful Professional Development next week for the staff of Mississippi County Head Start (MCAEOC Head Start)!

We have exactly 20 seats remaining, so owners and directors please email wgreen@crmail.k12.ar.us to lock in spots for your team before they are completely gone.

🗓️ Training Schedule At-A-Glance

Day 1: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

• Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Lunch on your own from 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM)

• Preschool Teachers: In-Depth Understanding of PreK CLASS

  • Location: Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC), Allied Technology Room T112

• Infant/Toddler Teachers: In-Depth Understanding of Infant & Toddler CLASS

  • Location: MCAEOC Wiley Center- HS/ES

Day 2: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

• All Groups (Preschool & Infant/Toddler Teachers):

  • Location: Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC), Governor’s Ballroom

• Challenging Behaviors & Charting the Journey from CDELS to Infant, Toddler, and Pre-K to Kindergarten Readiness Atlas

• Time: 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM (Lunch on your own from 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM)

📝 Action Required: Don't let your team miss out on this opportunity to strengthen teaching practices.

CRESC is incredibly excited to continue this wonderful partnership with Mississippi County!

• DATE: Wednesday, August 12th
• TIME: 12:00pm-3:00pm ZOOM

• REGISTER ON SHOE BOX SESSION #588630

(If you do not have a shoebox account-see steps below)

You will receive the zoom link 24 hours before scheduled ZOOM to the email you registered on shoebox.

Designed for infant/toddler educators, this session introduces the CLASS® 2nd edition (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) infant/toddler framework—an evidence-based observation tool focused on adult-child interactions. Participants will explore the structure of the tool across its primary domains, dimensions, and behavioral indicators.

Register on shoebox

If you do not have an account please see the steps to below

1. Go to the Crowley’s Ridge Educational Service Cooperative (CRESC) website located at http://crowleys.k12.ar.us/

2. Click on SHOEBOX LOG IN

3. Click on SIGN IN

4. Type in a valid email address that you can access year round ***It is important that you use a valid email address that you can access year round for any communication regarding your registered events. You will be contacted via this email address for event cancellations, time/location changes, or any other pertinent information.***

5. Click No, I am new to this site then Continue

6. Complete all personal information as indicated

7. In the Region field, please choose Crowley’s Ridge Education Cooperative

8. In the District field, please choose your school district (other)

9. In the Position field, please choose the one that best suits your job position then Continue

10. On the next page, please choose your Campus (if you do not work at a school, please choose Central Office/Other)

11. Next you must create a password in Make My Password field (Note: passwords can ONLY be lower case letters and/or numbers—do NOT use any capital letters in your password or the system will not allow you to log in) 1

2. Next, retype that password in Confirm Password field

13. Click Finish—you should receive a Congratulations! You have successfully created a new user account!

14. You may now Sign In and begin registering for events by clicking on Catalog

Providers,

If you missed our two recent Zoom meetings but are still interested in securing Brightwheel for free for a full year (including complete implementation support), we want to make sure your center doesn't miss out!

To move forward with this grant opportunity, please contact Wendy Green wgreen@crmail.k12.ar.us as soon as possible. We will set up a quick time to chat, and I will send you the required QR code to complete your initial interest survey and kick off the process.

Note: If your program already uses a digital child care management tool, you will not qualify for this specific grant.

Let’s break down these technology barriers together—reach out today to get started!

Best regards,

Wendy Green

Local Lead, CRESC

Now Scheduling: CLASS Observations!

It’s that time of year again! We are officially booking CLASS observations for the upcoming school year. Please take a moment to check your inbox and reply to any scheduling emails so we can coordinate the best dates for you and your team. We appreciate your prompt responses!

See the information below for details about this upcoming "Learning Year" (2026-27) at CRESC!

Dear Providers,

As we step together into the CLASS® "Learning Year," the Crowley's Ridge Educational Service Cooperative (CRESC) catchment area is launching a structured rollout designed to guide and assist you every step of the way.

Please review the three-part rollout process below, which outlines exactly how we will work alongside your facility moving forward.

Part 1: Initial Local Lead Facility Visits & Reliability Setup

• Step 1: Contact & Scheduling – A member of the CRESC Local Lead team will contact you directly by phone or email to schedule an in-person facility visit. Please note: No CLASS observer will begin conducting official observations until the Local Lead team contacts you to confirm your facility is fully ready.

• Step 2: Dual Coding & Observations – During this scheduled visit, the Local Lead team will sit down with your facility's certified observer to "double-code" side-by-side. Together, we will code all four 20-minute observation sessions.

• Step 3: The NICE Process – Following the observations, our team will remain on-site to walk through and complete the NICE process for one full cycle.

• Step 4: Supporting Independence – Once reliability is confirmed and we have completed our post-observation conversation, the Local Lead team will determine the next steps. We may schedule follow-up visits to support additional observations, or we may hand over the official CLASS booklets so your certified observer can independently conduct CLASS observations within your facility.

Part 2: Data Collection & Portal Uploads

• Step 1: Data Collection – The Local Lead team will meet with your CLASS observer or pick up completed observation data to collect the entire facility's observation records.

• Step 2: Teachstone Portal Management – To maintain consistency and reduce administrative burdens on your staff, no individual inside the CRESC catchment area will have direct portal access to upload their own data. The Local Lead team will personally enter and manage all facility observations within the Teachstone portal.

Part 3: Feedback Meetings

• Step 1: Afternoon Next-Step Meetings – Once the data is securely logged in the Teachstone portal, the Local Lead team will schedule an afternoon meeting with your CLASS Observer (Director/Owner). Note: Each facility has the complete choice to include their classroom teachers in this meeting or keep it administrative. During this time, we will collaboratively review the data and map out a next-step action plan for your staff.

• Step 2: Sign-Off & Documentation – At the conclusion of this afternoon's meeting, the CLASS Observer (Director/Owner) will sign our completion form to confirm that our team has fulfilled this task. You will receive a physical copy of this documentation for your records.

❤️ We Are Here to Support You

As you can clearly see from this structured rollout, your Local Leads are here to serve as your support system. Our entire focus is on uplifting, assisting, and protecting everyone through this process moving forward.

We truly cannot wait to work directly alongside you to do what is best for your staff, your centers, and the children of our CRESC catchment area!

Warmly,

Wendy Green

Local Lead Captain

Starting July 2028 school year, Arkansas will require all publicly funded early childhood programs to use a curriculum from the state’s official Approved Curriculum List. The goal is to ensure every classroom has high-quality materials that support great teaching, and the state is even working to find free or low-cost options to help make this change easier for everyone.

I am more than happy to support any provider as you begin to do your research on what HQIM is best for YOUR facility!

Click on link https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/Final_Approved_List_OEC.pdf IMPORTANT: Once you click the link, you can select the underlined curriculum within each box to view a breakdown of why it was chosen.

For more information, here is a helpful website: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/office-of-early-childhood/content--development/curriculum

Call your Local Lead.

The ABC Monthly Provider Call resumes on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 12:00 PM (CT). Beginning in August, meetings will be held on the last Tuesday of each month through May 25, 2027. Join us for important updates, resources, and provider information.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/91461066428?pwd=xvPGN0vIJ4NCTyIYvQJdJJFtgPirw5.1

Meeting ID: 914 6106 6428
Passcode: 767594

Families in the Know: Daily Connection for Infants & Toddlers 💛 Building your child’s brain and strengthening your bond doesn’t require extra time or fancy toys! Simple, everyday actions—like narrating your routine, mirroring expressions, and wonder-filled play—make a huge difference. Check out our quick connection checklist to try out small, powerful moments with your little one today!

📩 Questions or topic suggestions? Contact Local Leads Captain Wendy Green at wgreen@crmail.k12.ar.us.

https://canva.link/3mqzzdemm7db8h7

As we look ahead to a fantastic school year, I want to remind you that I would love to support your upcoming community events, school Literacy Nights, or Math Nights!

CRESC will be represented at these events by your Local Lead.. My goal is to be there to support birth through Pre-K in our community with families and to help you promote the importance of early childhood education.

If you have any events or special nights coming up, please reach out and let me know the details. You can send all information directly to me at wgreen@crmail.k12.ar.us.

I can't wait to see what other amazing events you have planned!

Wendy Green

Providers,

We are thrilled to share that Crowley's Ridge Educational Service Cooperative (CRESC) was recently featured in a national LENA newsletter spotlight! This feature celebrates our incredible partnership and the measurable impact our local early childhood educators are making every day.

As your Local Lead Team, our goal is to support your facilities and ensure our providers have a strong voice in early childhood education. To put that into action, we launched the LENA Grow program pilot in 11 classrooms across two Arkansas districts.

📊 The Results Speak for Themselves:

• Massive Language Gains: Children who started the program with the least amount of talk saw the biggest gains, averaging +6.7 conversational turns per hour—which is a phenomenal 71% growth!

• Empowered Educators: Our participating teachers noticed an immediate difference—100% of them reported increased confidence, higher job satisfaction, and improved family communication.

💬 What Our Teachers Are Saying:

"I loved the LENA GROW!!!! It really helped me think outside the box exploring ways for my students to communicate with me and others around them."

— April Smallman, Lead Teacher at Trumann Preschool, AR

Thank you to all the dedicated educators who poured their hearts into making this launch such a massive success. We are so excited to continue this journey, expand our impact, and keep strengthening our early childhood community together!

Best regards,

Your Local Lead Team, CRESC

Want to learn more about how LENA Grow is shifting early literacy across the state? Check out the Arkansas LENA Grow Initiative.

The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) ensures Arkansas families have access to safe, high-quality, and developmentally appropriate early learning environments. The office supports parents, licenses and regulates providers, and collaborates with communities and the Early Childhood Commission to prepare children for future success.

The division is comprised of four units:

• Child Care Licensing and Regulatory Checks: Conducts on-site licensing reviews for child care centers, licensed homes, and registered homes. Manages the Criminal Records Check System in partnership with the Arkansas State Police.

• Direct Services and Operations: Provides subsidized child care services on a sliding fee basis to support TEA recipients, transitional families, low-income working families, and children in foster care. Administers the Early Head Start Child Care Partnership.

• Content and Development: Delivers training and technical assistance to professionals, programs, and families. Manages initiatives like Better Beginnings (a voluntary Tiered Quality Rating Improvement System), the Pre-K Teaching Credential, and the Professional Development Registry.

• Local Leads: Established under the Arkansas LEARNS Act in Spring 2023. This unit prioritizes early learning reform by establishing local lead organizations to improve the overall experience for families and providers.

For more information, visit the DESE Office of Early Childhood Website.