Some of our earliest memories of growing up in St. Louis include trips to the Zoo and Grant’s Farm or our first taste of a concrete or thin crust pizza covered with Provel cheese. St. Louis offers toddlers a wealth of places to explore and things to learn.

ARCHS' Pre-K/Early Childhood:

ARCHS is a leading funder and supporter of new and expanded child care center programs in the region - assuring that children are placed in safe and learning-focused environments while their parents work or attend school. ARCHS’ supported centers are also an economic boom to the region creating jobs and millions of dollars in small business development from downtown to St. Charles. ARCHS also supports the accreditation of child care centers and stay at home parents programs.

ARCHS helps prepare children for future success in K-12 and life by building lifelong learning (L3) partnerships that:

• Increases access to quality, licensed and accredited child care centers

• Fosters innovation in early childhood care and education

• Supports the social and economic stability of families

ARCHS is currently supporting more than 80 area child care centers through the following innovative partnerships.

ARCHS' Stay at Home Parent Partnerships:

Through this ARCHS' partnership, parent educators work with families in the home to provide information on how to ensure quality interactions between parents and their children. The goal is to increase children's readiness to enter Kindergarten ready to learn and with decreased instances of child abuse and subsequent teen pregnancies. Currently offered in North St. Louis City and Jennings.

ARCHS' Educare Partnerships:

ARCHS provides training and technical assistance to unregulated child care home providers who have registered with the state to provide care for 4 or few children ages birth to 36 months. The providers receive personalized education using the Emotional Beginnings curriculum and on-site consultations on how to improve the quality of their program.

ARCHS' Start Up and Expansion Partnerships:

Selected through a rigorous selection process, centers who are starting or expanding programs that serve children ages birth to 24 months benefit from ARCHS' expertise - with a focus on completing licensure. Programs include family homes, group homes and faith-based centers.

ARCHS' Accreditation Partnerships:

ARCHS' works with selected centers who want to achieve accreditation. The centers receive a program assessment and develop quality improvement plans to increase the overall quality of their programs.

ARCHS' Early Childhood Educational Support Programs:

ARCHS provides its various funded centers with a rich array of continuing education opportunities. These activities include leadership training, strengthening families programs, individual scholarships, "for teachers, by teachers learning series and annual institutes. (Sorry, most of these programs are not open to the general public)

ARCHS' Request for Funding Proposals (RFP) for Child Care Centers:

RFPs are closed for this year for start up and expansions. The next round of RFPs is planned for late spring 2010.

ARCHS’ Pre-K Community Partners:

ARCHS' Pre-K National Partners:

• Grantmakers for Education, National Center
• Parents as Teachers, National Program

ARCHS' Pre-K State Partners:

• Missouri Child Care Resource and Referral Network (MOCCRRN)
• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Early Childhood Education Department
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)
• Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS), Children’s Division
• Missouri Educare Programs
• Missouri Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) scholarship program
• Missouri’s Professional Achievement & Recognition System (PARS), OPEN Initiative

ARCHS' Pre-K Greater St. Louis Partners:

• Child Day Care Association (CDCA)
• Harris-Stowe State University
• Saint Louis City, Licensure Office
• Saint Louis City, Mayor’s Commission on Education
• Saint Louis Parents as Teachers program
• St. Louis Community College
• Vision for Children at Risk (VCR)
• ARCHS' St. Louis City Educare (CDCA)
• University City Educare
• Ritenour Educare