Childcare in Little Rock assists parents who have lost their Medicaid

Little Rock, Arkansas – After thousands of children lost their Medicaid coverage last year, an Arkansas charity is making sure children receive the education and daycare services they require.

The Biden administration wrote letters to Arkansas and the other nine states with the greatest percentage of children losing their Medicaid coverage in December 2013, requesting that they make sure the children’s coverage was maintained.

Children of all needs can attend the preschool at Archild Development Center.However, parents now find it more challenging to enroll their children as a result of some recent modifications.

“Sometimes parents don’t understand the process, and so we work really hard to try and get them those services,” Archild Development Center Director Mari Dush said.

As part of eligibility redeterminations, the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) enrolled 427,459 individuals out of Medicaid last year.

An estimated 78,000 children also lost that coverage.

“Anyone that has dealt with Medicaid, Medicare, government, anything else… it’s not a simple you fill out this sheet, and you’re good to go,” Archild Billing Coordinator Kathleen Sullivan said.

For more than 20 years, Sullivan has assisted parents in locating alternative solutions when Medicaid is not accessible.”We have children who are funded under Medicaid. We have those who are funded under private insurance,” Sullivan said.

“We have children who are here for regular daycare that is parent-paid. We also have the voucher program run through DHS, so we can quote through our net out and assist more than some other centers might be able to.”

Sullivan and Dush aspire for children of all needs and backgrounds to receive the greatest care available, regardless of their parent’s financial circumstances.

The Biden administration letter prompted a response from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who described it as a “politically motivated PR stunt” and asserted that Arkansas conforms with both state and federal law.