LeARner Collective: ECGFP Application

LeARner Collective: ECGFP Application

This application is exclusively for Arkansas Early Childhood Local Leads. Please complete the readiness self-assessment before proceeding to the full application.
The LeARner Collective

Through the LeARner Collective (TLC), we engage and equip teams in Arkansas to design, develop and implement creative solutions to problems of practice. TLC's transformative education model encourages teams to turn innovative opportunities into measurable success.

We invite Early Childhood Local Leads to this inaugural Center for Early Learning Solutions LeARner Collective opportunity focused on Early Childhood Governance and Finance. Selected Local Leads will be supported by CELS at Forward and our expert partners, Afton Partners with:
- Activation grants
- Expert-led in-person and virtual workshops to build early childhood governance and finance knowledge, understanding, and collaboration
- Monthly coaching sessions
- Proven tools, templates, and tracking frameworks to develop strategy and act on opportunities to advance local fiscal strategy
In facilitating the TLC, CELS at Forward Arkansas will also:
- Act as a partner and learner alongside Local Leads and the project guiding team, building our understanding of early childhood governance and finance
- Convene stakeholders throughout the experience in meaningful ways to seed learning and fuel a state-local learning loop
- Amplify success stories, creating momentum and conditions for system-wide scaling of solutions
Early Childhood Governance and Finance Project

The Early Childhood Governance and Finance Project is a partnership of the ADE Office of Early Childhood and Forward Arkansas supported with philanthropic funding from the New Venture Fund and Walton Family Foundation to engage in work around fiscal strategy, local planning, provider support, and state-local learning loops. Goals of the project are to:

1) Complete a comprehensive fiscal analysis of system needs, resources, and gaps,
2) Build capacity among Local Leads to identify opportunities, develop, and implement tools and strategies to maximize public revenue streams and improve access, and
3) Develop potential goals and opportunities to advance state and local fiscal strategy, planning, and implementation.
Participation Schedule:
- May 20 – Kick-Off (In-Person 1-5 pm; Little Rock)
- May 21 – Kick-Off (In-Person 9 am - 1pm, Little Rock)
- Jun 10 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (1-hour Virtual)
- Jul 8 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (1-hour Virtual)
- Aug 12 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (1-hour Virtual)
- Aug 18 – Learner Hour (1-hour Virtual)
- Sept 9 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (1-hour Virtual)
- Oct 21 – Convening (In-Person; TBD)
- Oct 22 – Convening (In-Person; TBD)
- Nov 11 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (1-hour Virtual)

Rows	Yes! We demonstrate this attribute in observable ways.	Need Support	Not Yet
We will commit to the full participation schedule
We will complete guided demonstration work in between sessions focused on local application that aligns with our local plan

LeARner Collective: ECGFP Application
Local Lead Organization
Primary Contact

First NameLast Name
Title
Primary Email
example@example.com
Secondary Contact

First NameLast Name
Secondary Email
example@example.com
Counties Served:
In 2–3 sentences: Why is this work important for your community right now, and what knowledge or abilities do you aim to gain to enhance your capacity through this participation?
Current State & Goals: Check all that apply.
In 2-3 sentences: What is one challenge or opportunity you have encountered related to funding in your region?
In 2–3 sentences: How will your team apply learning from this project locally (e.g., with providers, planning, funding strategies)?
What would success look like for your region at the end of this project?
Who will participate regularly as part of your team? (Name/Role)
How will you ensure consistent participation and follow-through?
By signing below, we agree to the following commitments:
- Engaging in demonstration/implementation work between learning sessions
- Sharing feedback to inform statewide strategy and tool
- Participating in the LeARner Collective (TLC) and related activities with peer Local Leads including, but not limited to these events in 2026 and a similiar schedule in 2027:
  - May 20 – Kick-Off (In-Person; Little Rock)
  - May 21 – Kick-Off (In-Person, Little Rock)
  - Jun 10 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (Virtual)
  - Jul 8 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (Virtual)
  - Aug 12 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (Virtual)
  - Aug 18 – Learner Hour (Virtual)
  - Sept 9 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (Virtual)
  - Oct 21 – Convening (In-Person)
  - Oct 22 – Convening (In-Person)
  - Nov 11 – TLC Check-In & Coaching (Virtual)
Please explain any conflicts with activities:
Signature of Agreement
Should be Empty:

Rows	Yes! We demonstrate this attribute in observable ways.	Need Support	Not Yet
Early childhood care and education access and affordability are priorities in our local plan
We actively use our local plan to guide decisions about funding
We are ready to test new strategies or develop strategy for our local plan based on data and learning
We have a designated lead or small team who can participate consistently

Rows	Yes! We demonstrate this attribute in observable ways.	Need Support	Not Yet
We engage providers in decision making, not just information sharing
We are willing to engage new stakeholders (e.g., business, local government) to explore funding and investment strategies
We are willing to bring partners along in testing new ideas or approaches
We are open to sharing local insights to inform state strategy

Rows	Yes! We demonstrate this attribute in observable ways.	Need Support	Not Yet
We use data (child count, needs, provider input) to inform decisions
We are interested in strengthening our ability to use fiscal and funding data
We are comfortable working with new or imperfect data to inform decisions
We are willing to test tools and apply learning locally

Rows	Yes! We demonstrate this attribute in observable ways.	Need Support	Not Yet
We are interested in understanding how public funding flows locally
We want to better support providers in maximizing use of funding streams
We are interested in exploring new funding strategies or local investment opportunities
We are willing to test tools or approaches that may change how we currently operate

LeARner Collective: ECGFP Application

The LeARner Collective

Early Childhood Governance and Finance Project

Participation Schedule:

LeARner Collective: ECGFP Readiness Assessment

LeARner Collective: ECGFP Application