The Arkansas Economic Development Institute at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received $156,850 from the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Childcare and Early Childhood to improve the lives of Arkansas children and families.

Through the Arkansas Early Childhood Asset Map program, the institute will utilize its Census Data Center and Geographic Information System (GIS) Applications Laboratory to provide mapping services, resource guides, and its yearly publication, “Getting Ready for School.”

The program provides information policymakers need to help children start and succeed in school. The institute offers an online GIS map with demographic data, such as children in poverty, babies born with a low birth weight, and babies born without prenatal care.

The “Getting Ready for School” publication provides detailed data of School Readiness Indicators to increase awareness of children and families in the state. The School Readiness Indicators were developed by the Arkansas School Readiness Initiative Team and provide a foundation for policymakers and community leaders.

“Our relationship with DHS began over 20 years ago with a basic 10-page publication,” said Phyllis Poche, senior researcher at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute. “Today, an interactive database and website can track indicators that enable policymakers and community leaders to identify areas most in need of intervention.”