What Excel by Eight does

Excel by Eight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, that coordinates a statewide network aimed at improving health and education outcomes for Arkansas children from the prenatal period through age eight. Founded in 2011 as the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and rebranded in 2019 under its current name, the organization operates through six community-led coalitions (E8 Communities) in Conway, Independence, Little Rock, Poinsett, Sevier, and Union counties, each governed by local steering committees of families, educators, healthcare providers, and policymakers. It does not sell products or services; revenue is generated through donations, grants, and charitable contributions, with the organization having achieved formal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in April 2026.

The organization's core "products" are programmatic and policy initiatives rather than commercial technology. These include the HealthySteps model (connecting pediatric primary care with developmental specialists), the LENA Grow professional development program (using cloud-based software and wearable talk pedometer devices to measure conversational turns between children and caregivers, with a University of Virginia-evaluated expansion to 400 Arkansas classrooms), the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program, and the Doula Alliance of Arkansas (a maternal health workforce initiative founded with a $250,000 seed grant from Ingeborg Initiatives). Assessment and quality frameworks include the Early Development Instrument (EDI), the CLASS classroom observation tool, the Better Beginnings star-rated quality system, and the Program Administration Scale. Policy work centers on Arkansas legislation including Act 513 (HealthySteps Medicaid reimbursement) and Act 587 (early childhood educator retirement pathway), with representation on the Governor's Arkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health.

Excel by Eight's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven rather than commercial. It engages families through local steering committees, mobilizes 90+ Arkansas employers through the E8 Business Coalition to address child care workforce issues, hosts annual Foundations Collaborative Summits, and publishes annual "Strengthening the Grid" progress reports. Key institutional partners include the Walton Family Foundation, UAMS, Baptist Health, the City of Little Rock, Child Care Aware of Northcentral Arkansas, and individual child care providers such as Lovely Sunshine Learning Center. The organization maintains a small 1-10 person staff led by Executive Director Angela Duran (recipient of the 2024 Bonnie Limbird AAIMH Outstanding Contributor Award), with directors for Communications, Communities, and Coalitions functions.

Name

Excel by Eight

Legal name

Excel by Eight

Website

https://excelby8.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Excel by Eight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Little Rock, Arkansas that coordinates community coalitions, employer engagement, and policy advocacy to improve health and education outcomes for Arkansas children prenatal through age eight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Development Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Behavioral Therapy (ABA/ESDM/Positive Behavior Support) (EDACAFAE)

Keywords

• Early childhood development
• Nonprofit community coalition
• Maternal child health
• Early childhood education
• Child care advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Excel by Eight is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that operates primarily through donations and charitable contributions. The organization processes donations through its website and maintains records in accordance with IRS recordkeeping requirements for tax-exempt organizations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Excel by Eight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a statewide network of community coalitions, employer partnerships, and programs to improve health and education outcomes for Arkansas children from prenatal through age 8. It convenes the E8 Network, runs E8 Communities in six localities, manages the E8 Business Coalition with 90+ Arkansas employers, hosts an annual summit, and facilitates programs including HealthySteps, LENA/LENA Grow, T.E.A.C.H., the Doula Alliance of Arkansas, Maternal Life360, Conversation Cafés, and Family Partners for Ready Learners.

Product overview

Excel by Eight is a nonprofit organization operating as a network-based coalition rather than a technology product company. The core offering is the E8 Network—a coordination framework comprising community coalitions (E8 Communities in Conway, Independence, Little Rock, Sevier, Union, and others), a Resource Grid connecting families to services, and an E8 Business Coalition. The organization facilitates programs including HealthySteps (coordinating pediatric care with family support specialists), LENA/LENA Grow (professional development with wearable talk pedometer technology), T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program, and the Doula Alliance of Arkansas. Assessment tools include the Early Development Instrument (EDI) for kindergarten readiness, CLASS for classroom observation, and the Better Beginnings quality rating system. The Excel by Eight Foundations Collaborative Summit serves as the annual convening. Policy initiatives include Act 513 for HealthySteps reimbursement and the Arkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• E8 Network
• E8 Communities
• E8 Business Coalition
• HealthySteps
• LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis)
• LENA Grow
• T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program
• Doula Alliance of Arkansas
• Maternal Life360
• Conversation Cafés
• Family Partners for Ready Learners
• Excel by Eight Foundations Collaborative Summit

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,053 infants and toddlers receiving developmental screenings
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Walton Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Walton Family Foundation hosts the Arkansas Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Initiative Convening in Bentonville, bringing together partners to strengthen collaboration and share ideas to improve early care and education in Arkansas.
• Doula Alliance of ArkansascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Excel by Eight served in an advisory role during the formation of the Doula Alliance of Arkansas, a collaborative initiative to improve maternal health outcomes in Arkansas. The Alliance aims to advance the profession of birth work through advocacy and education, improve access to high-quality doula services statewide, and provide a professional support system for Arkansas doulas.
• LENAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with LENA and University of Arkansas Early Care and Education Projects to evaluate tools demonstrating positive impact on child outcomes in Arkansas's developing statewide early childhood accountability system.
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAMS partners on multiple initiatives including HealthySteps implementation, maternal health programs, and early childhood development research. Dr. Nikki Edge from UAMS serves as a key expert contributor.
• Reach Out and Read and Nurture ConnectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE8 team participated in the Reach Out and Read and Nurture Connection National Summit in Washington D.C. to discuss Early Relational Health and share Arkansas's early childhood work nationally.
• University of VirginiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts randomized controlled trial evaluation of LENA Grow coaching model expanding to 400 classrooms in Arkansas.
• Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of PediatricscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnna Strong, executive director, serves as health policy lead for Excel by Eight Foundations. The organization collaborates on HealthySteps implementation and maternal health policy.
• City of Little RockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Little Rock partnered with Excel by Eight through a $15,000 National League of Cities grant to support child care providers in raising Better Beginnings ratings.
• Arkansas State LegislaturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcel by Eight monitors and advocates for legislation supporting early childhood development, including Acts related to HealthySteps, maternal health, early childhood education, and supported families.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZERO TO THREE: ZERO TO THREE is the national organization behind the HealthySteps program that Excel by Eight implements in Arkansas. Both organizations focus on infant and toddler developmental services, parent support, and policy advocacy for the prenatal-to-3 population, making them direct peers in mission and programmatic content.
• LENA: LENA provides the Language ENvironment Analysis technology and Grow coaching model that Excel by Eight deploys across Arkansas early childhood classrooms. Both organizations focus on improving early language environments and serve overlapping early childhood educator segments.
• First 5 Arkansas / First 5 Network: The First 5 Association of California and First 5 networks in other states fund programs for children prenatal through age 5. Excel by Eight is a comparable Arkansas-focused organization, though it lacks a dedicated tobacco-tax-funded structure that First 5 entities enjoy.
• Child Care Aware of America: Child Care Aware of America is a national nonprofit improving child care access, affordability, and quality. Excel by Eight partners with local Child Care Aware chapters in Arkansas and shares a focus on child care quality rating systems and provider support.
• Ascend at the Aspen Institute: Ascend is a policy program focused on two-generation approaches benefiting parents and children together, including early childhood. Excel by Eight's Resource Grid spanning prenatal to age 8 with maternal health integration reflects a comparable two-generation framework.
• HealthySteps National Office: HealthySteps is a ZERO TO THREE program that Excel by Eight actively implements and advocates for through Act 513. The national office supports pediatric primary care sites integrating child development specialists, making it a direct programmatic peer with similar evidence-based models.
• StriveTogether: StriveTogether is a national collective impact network supporting community coalitions working on cradle-to-career outcomes, including early childhood. Excel by Eight's E8 Communities model closely mirrors the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network approach.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children US: Save the Children US runs early childhood education programs in rural communities and advocates for federal early childhood policy. Excel by Eight shares a focus on rural Arkansas early childhood but operates at a much smaller, state-specific scale.
• Bainum Family Foundation: The Bainum Family Foundation funds early childhood quality and policy initiatives, including support for child care providers similar to those Excel by Eight serves through its Business Coalition and E8 Communities work.

Emerging players

• National League of Cities (Early Childhood): NLC runs early childhood city leadership cohorts that Excel by Eight's City of Little Rock partner participated in. Both engage municipal leaders in early childhood policy, though NLC operates federally across U.S. cities rather than at the state level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excelby8
• Instagraminstagram.com/excelby8
• Xx.com/Excelby8
• Facebookfacebook.com/Excelby8

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Excel by Eight