The Arkansas Department of Education is inviting schools that provide pre-kindergarten services to children the year before kindergarten to participate in the Pre-K R.I.S.E. Initiative.  ADE is committed to expanding its focus on early childhood education by providing professional development focused on early literacy development as well as high-quality curriculum and materials that are grounded in the science of reading and aligned to the Arkansas Child Development and Early Learning Standards.  

The first phase of the Pre-K R.I.S.E. Initiative includes training in Launchpad, a supplementary foundational literacy curriculum by Really Great Reading provided by the department. The second phase of the Pre-K R.I.S.E. Initiative includes training in LETRS for early childhood educators. These professional development series are designed to empower teachers to apply best practices and guide our youngest students’ learning. 

To receive more information on the Pre-K R.I.S.E Initiative, school leaders will need to complete and submit the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/bAFHDFxiV7ukkrFY9

• The Launchpad Pre-K Foundational Literacy Curriculum registration deadline for the 2021-2022 program year is August 31, 2021.  

• Registration for the LETRS will begin in October 2021 and the PD will begin in January 2022.

• The Pre-K R.I.S.E. Initiative is a multi-year initiative and will be available to pre-k programs through the 2023-2024 program year.