When students arrive on campus, they bring with them the full weight of the barriers they face every day. They may have an empty refrigerator, a childcare gap that threatens class attendance, and fears about not being able to pay rent. Addressing those stressors is the difference between a student who finishes and one who disappears.

In Part 3 of our series, we turn to how supportive services like childcare, transportation, and financial assistance help keep students enrolled, focused, and moving toward completion, even when life is working against them.

As we previously stated, Arkansas ranked #1 in certificate and workforce credential completion among states that participated in the recent Richmond Federal Reserve Survey of Community College Outcomes, which broadened the definition of success to include these types of credentials. 

In Part 2 of our series, we will dig deeper into how community colleges are preparing students for work.

For years, the story told about community colleges has been incomplete, shortchanging the students who need these institutions most. From workforce training to college degrees, community colleges are the hometown provider of job-training for students and employers across the state. Yet traditional higher education metrics have long overlooked much of that impact. 

This September, in honor of Workforce Development Month, we launch a three-part series to set the record straight, starting with new data that proves what we've always known: Arkansas's community colleges are delivering real results for real people.

Arkansas Community Colleges (ACC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas, dedicated to serving its membership of 22 public community and technical colleges.

When we look at the students in our allied health programs across Arkansas's community colleges, I see the incredible future of healthcare in our state. These are the students in critical healthcare workforce training programs who will provide continuous care for our families, respond to emergencies, and keep our communities healthy. But here's what many people don't see: the enormous challenges these students face just to stay in school.