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Statewide center samples were analyzed using logistic regression, showing ABC programs are typically fully enrolled and enroll underserved populations, including children in impoverished and rural areas and children with disabilities, at higher rates. Qualitative interviews identify enrollment facilitators and barriers across centers, communities, and state policies.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/enrollment-practices-in-early-education-centers-examining-implementation-in-the-arkansas-state-pre-k-program/590373/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/enrollment-practices-in-early-education-centers-examining-implementation-in-the-arkansas-state-pre-k-program/590373.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Pentious","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-06","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":52},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the study examine about Arkansas pre-K programs?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It examines ECE centers’ enrollment practices with a focus on how ABC pre-K centers enroll children from underserved backgrounds versus non-ABC centers.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How do the quantitative findings compare ABC and non-ABC programs?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Logistic regression results indicate ABC programs are typically fully enrolled and enroll underserved populations, including children in impoverished and rural areas and children with disabilities, at higher rates than non-ABC programs.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What do the interviews add to the understanding of enrollment?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The qualitative interviews identify enrollment facilitators and barriers in both ABC and non-ABC programs, including factors related to centers, surrounding communities, and state policies.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590373,1792210573,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":52,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},1374404730887,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","AERA Open  \nJanuary-December 2025, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 1–18 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584251357591  \nArticle reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2025. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero)  \nEnrollment Practices in Early Education Centers: Examining Implementation in the Arkansas State Pre-K Program  \nGerilyn Slicker  \nUniversity of Nevada  \nJason T. Hustedt  \nUniversity of Delaware  \nMelissa Stoffers  \nUniversity of Nevada  \nCara L. Kelly  \nUniversity of Delaware, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Early Childhood Education Institute  \nEnrollment in high quality pre-kindergarten (pre-K) programs is associated with positive outcomes for children; yet, inequities in access are prevalent. This mixed methods study is a comprehensive examination of early care and education (ECE) centers’ enrollment practices with a specific focus on enrollment of children from underserved backgrounds in Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-K programs compared with non-ABC programs. Logistic regression models using a statewide sample of ECE centers reveal that ABC programs are typically fully enrolled and enroll underserved populations—including children in impoverished and rural areas and children with disabilities—at higher rates than non-ABC programs. Qualitative interviews reveal enrollment facilitators and barriers in both ABC and non-ABC programs, including aspects of centers, surrounding communities, and state policies. Results suggest that policies such as deliberately setting and implementing certain enrollment priorities may enhance equitable ECE access.  \nKeywords: early childhood, educational policy, diversity, equity, mixed methods, pre-kindergarten, early childhood education, early childhood policy  \nEnrollmEnt in high-quality early care and education (ECE), including state and local pre-kindergarten (pre-K) programs, has been shown to positively impact children’s development (Phillips et al., 2017) . Outcomes are particularly strong forchildren from certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, and forchildren living in poverty (Hustedt et al., 2021; Phillipset al., 2017) . However, persistent systemic inequities contribute to unequal access and disparate outcomes, even amidst policy efforts to expand the supply of pre-K and prioritize enrollment for those who have historically lacked access (Lin et al., 2023) . Even in locations where access topre-K has generally expanded, some research suggests that disparities in access have widened for certain groups ofchildren (e.g., Bassok et al., 2016; McCormick et al., 2023; Zhang & Jenkins, 2022). Although increasing enrollment for typically underserved groups, such as children with  \ndisabilities and children experiencing homelessness, is essential for advancing equity (Lin et al., 2023), little is known about the implementation of these policies, particularly those policies related to eligibility and prioritized enrollment, and how pre-K (and other ECE) programs’enrollment is impacted.  \nThe present study uses a mixed methods approach, relying on quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data gathered from a statewide sample of directors in Arkansas ECE centers. Arkansas has made significant investments in serving preschoolaged children via Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-K programs. We examine ECE centers’ enrollment practices, with a focus on children from underserved backgrounds served in ABC centers versus non-ABC centers. We also explore center directors’decision-making priorities and how ABC requirements may contribute to enrollment decisions. As our study was conducted  \nCreative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons  \nAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use,  \nre","cbCainhKT24mqIKE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainhKT24mqIKE","pdf",533777,18,"English","# Enrollment Practices in Early Education Centers\n## ECE Settings and Enrollment Priorities","[{\"question\":\"What does the study examine about Arkansas pre-K programs?\",\"answer\":\"It examines ECE centers’ enrollment practices with a focus on how ABC pre-K centers enroll children from underserved backgrounds versus non-ABC centers.\"},{\"question\":\"How do the quantitative findings compare ABC and non-ABC programs?\",\"answer\":\"Logistic regression results indicate ABC programs are typically fully enrolled and enroll underserved populations, including children in impoverished and rural areas and children with disabilities, at higher rates than non-ABC programs.\"},{\"question\":\"What do the interviews add to the understanding of enrollment?\",\"answer\":\"The qualitative interviews identify enrollment facilitators and barriers in both ABC and non-ABC programs, including factors related to centers, surrounding communities, and state policies.\"}]","Enrollment Practices in Early Education Centers - Examining Implementation in the Arkansas State Pre-K Program | PDF",1792069493,45]