PolicyEngine · hua7450 · May 15, 2026 · May 15, 2026 · May 15, 2026 · May 18, 2026
diff --git a/changelog.d/ar-ccap.added.md b/changelog.d/ar-ccap.added.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add Arkansas School Readiness Assistance (SRA) child care subsidy program. The 4% per-family copay ceiling is computed against countable (adult) income — children's SSI and Social Security are excluded per FSU §4.3.3 — and the per-child copay used in that ceiling is clamped to the child's actual provider charge. The ESS Year-1 alt path (FSU §4.1.5.1) is gated on earned income alone exceeding the TEA limit, consistent with the regulation's "earnings alone" wording.
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/hhs/ccdf/child_care_subsidy_programs.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/hhs/ccdf/child_care_subsidy_programs.yaml
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ description: The federal government counts these state programs as child care su
 values:
   2021-01-01:
     - ak_child_care_subsidies  # Alaska Child Care Assistance Program (PASS)
+    - ar_child_care_subsidies  # Arkansas School Readiness Assistance
     - ca_child_care_subsidies  # California Child Care
     - co_child_care_subsidies  # Colorado Child Care Assistance Program
     - ct_child_care_subsidies  # Connecticut Care 4 Kids

diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/household/household_state_benefits.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/household/household_state_benefits.yaml
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ values:
     - wa_rca
     # Louisiana benefits
     - la_oss
+    # Arkansas benefits
+    - ar_child_care_subsidies
 metadata:
   unit: list
   period: year

diff --git a/...engine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/activity_hours_ess_year_1.yaml b/...engine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/activity_hours_ess_year_1.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+description: Arkansas sets this minimum weekly activity hours threshold for at least one adult in an Employment-Sponsored Subsidy Year 1 household under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 20
+
+metadata:
+  unit: hour
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA ESS Year 1 weekly activity hours
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.1.5.1 Employment
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=16
+    - title: OEC Rights & Responsibilities (Nov 2025)
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/R_&_R__Nov_2025_(English)_(1)_OEC.pdf#page=1
diff --git a/...engine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/activity_hours_ess_year_2.yaml b/...engine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/activity_hours_ess_year_2.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+description: Arkansas sets this minimum weekly activity hours threshold for at least one adult in an Employment-Sponsored Subsidy Year 2 household under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 25
+
+metadata:
+  unit: hour
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA ESS Year 2 weekly activity hours
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.1.5.1 Employment
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=16
+    - title: OEC Rights & Responsibilities (Nov 2025)
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/R_&_R__Nov_2025_(English)_(1)_OEC.pdf#page=1
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/activity_hours_li.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/activity_hours_li.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+description: Arkansas sets this minimum weekly activity hours threshold for each adult in a Low-Income household under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+# Applies to the Low-Income (LI) track only. ESS thresholds live in
+# activity_hours_ess_year_1.yaml and activity_hours_ess_year_2.yaml.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 30
+
+metadata:
+  unit: hour
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA Low-Income weekly activity hours
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.1.5.1 Employment
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=16
+    - title: OEC Rights & Responsibilities (Nov 2025)
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/R_&_R__Nov_2025_(English)_(1)_OEC.pdf#page=1
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/adult_age_threshold.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/adult_age_threshold.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+description: Arkansas treats household members at or above this age as adults under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 18
+
+metadata:
+  unit: year
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA adult age threshold
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.3 Income (defines parents/custodians "age eighteen (18) years and over")
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=19
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/child_age_limit.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/child_age_limit.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+description: Arkansas limits the School Readiness Assistance program to children younger than this age.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 13
+
+metadata:
+  unit: year
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA child age limit
+  reference:
+    - title: Arkansas CCDF Plan 2025-2027, Section 2.2.1 Eligibility Definitions
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/2025-2027_CCDF_State_Plan_Final_4.26.24.1REV_OEC.pdf#page=18
diff --git a/...yengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/child_age_limit_disabled.yaml b/...yengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/child_age_limit_disabled.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+description: Arkansas extends School Readiness Assistance eligibility to children with verified disabilities under this age.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 19
+
+metadata:
+  unit: year
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA child age limit (disabled extension)
+  reference:
+    - title: Arkansas CCDF Plan 2025-2027, Section 2.2.1 Eligibility Definitions
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/2025-2027_CCDF_State_Plan_Final_4.26.24.1REV_OEC.pdf#page=18
+    - title: Arkansas FSU Procedural Manual, Section 5.6.1 Priority and Waiver Types — Children with Special Needs
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=32
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/ess_window_months.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/ess_window_months.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+description: Arkansas limits the Employment-Sponsored Subsidy post-Transitional Employment Assistance window to this many months under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 24
+
+metadata:
+  unit: month
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA ESS post-TEA window months
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 5.4.1
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=26
diff --git a/...yengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/ess_year_1_window_months.yaml b/...yengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/ess_year_1_window_months.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+description: Arkansas sets this many months as the Employment-Sponsored Subsidy Year 1 window under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 12
+
+metadata:
+  unit: month
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA ESS Year 1 window months
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.1.5.1 Employment
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=16
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/income_smi_rate.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/eligibility/income_smi_rate.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+description: Arkansas limits gross income to this share of the state median income under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01: 0.85
+
+metadata:
+  unit: /1
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA income limit SMI rate
+  reference:
+    - title: Arkansas CCDF Plan 2025-2027, Section 2.2.4
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/2025-2027_CCDF_State_Plan_Final_4.26.24.1REV_OEC.pdf#page=22
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/in_effect.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/in_effect.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+description: Arkansas uses this indicator to determine whether the School Readiness Assistance program applies.
+# The SRA program legally launched 2025-10-01, but the Oct 2025 rate schedule
+# (higher rates plus a one-month Quality Enhancement Payment) was replaced on
+# 2025-11-01 by the rate sheet currently encoded. We gate the program to the
+# Nov 1, 2025 rate-aligned period; the Oct 2025 transitional month is not
+# modeled because its rates and QEP supplement are not in the parameter tree.
+values:
+  1900-01-01: false
+  2025-11-01: true
+
+metadata:
+  unit: bool
+  period: month
+  label: Arkansas SRA in effect
+  reference:
+    - title: OEC Rights & Responsibilities (Nov 2025)
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/R_&_R__Nov_2025_(English)_(1)_OEC.pdf#page=1
+    - title: OEC SRA Announcement Regarding Rates and Copays Effective November 1
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/OEC_SRA_Announcement_Regarding_Rates_and_Copays_Effective_November_1_OEC.pdf
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/income/sources.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/income/sources.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+description: Arkansas uses these income sources for adults under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+values:
+  2025-10-01:
+    - employment_income
+    - self_employment_income
+    - social_security_retirement
+    - social_security_disability
+    - social_security_survivors
+    - ssi
+    - unemployment_compensation
+    - workers_compensation
+    - alimony_income
+    - pension_income
+    - interest_income
+    - dividend_income
+    - rental_income
+    - military_retirement_pay
+    - veterans_benefits
+    # The following are counted per FSU Procedural Manual Section 4.3.1-4.3.2
+    # but have no matching variables:
+    # - PTO and stipends (VISTA, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, OJT)
+    # - regular bonuses, commissions
+    # - armed forces pay (other than retirement)
+    # - piece-rate, in-kind, contractual income
+    # - annuities, regular contributions
+    # Children's SSI and Social Security are excluded; the formula filters
+    # contributions by age before summing.
+
+metadata:
+  unit: list
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA countable income sources
+  reference:
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.3.1 Countable Earned Income
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=19
+    - title: FSU Procedural Manual (June 2023), Section 4.3.2 Countable Unearned Income
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/FSU-Procedural-Manual-June-2023_UPDATED_20230629075344.pdf#page=20
+    - title: Arkansas CCDF Plan 2025-2027, Section 2.2.4(c) Income Definition
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/2025-2027_CCDF_State_Plan_Final_4.26.24.1REV_OEC.pdf#page=24
diff --git a/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/rates/age_category_months.yaml b/policyengine_us/parameters/gov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/rates/age_category_months.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+description: Arkansas sets these age thresholds in months for age categories under the School Readiness Assistance program.
+# Boundaries follow the 2020 AR Min Licensing Requirements for Child Care Centers
+# (Infant Center: birth to 18 months; Toddler Center: 18 to 36 months; School-Age
+# Care: kindergarten and above per Ark. Code 6-18-207, age 5 by Aug 1 of the
+# school year). Preschool fills the gap (36-71 months); the school-aged 72-month
+# boundary uses typical kindergarten entry rather than the strict 60-month minimum.
+
+brackets:
+  - threshold:
+      2025-10-01: 0
+    amount:
+      2025-10-01: 0  # INFANT (0-17 months)
+  - threshold:
+      2025-10-01: 18
+    amount:
+      2025-10-01: 1  # TODDLER (18-35 months)
+  - threshold:
+      2025-10-01: 36
+    amount:
+      2025-10-01: 2  # PRESCHOOL (36-71 months)
+  - threshold:
+      2025-10-01: 72
+    amount:
+      2025-10-01: 3  # SCHOOL_AGED (72+ months)
+
+metadata:
+  type: single_amount
+  threshold_unit: month
+  amount_unit: /1
+  period: year
+  label: Arkansas SRA age category month thresholds
+  reference:
+    - title: SRA Sliding Fee Scale with Rates and Copays - Statewide Full Time (Nov 1, 2025) - age category labels
+      href: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Files/SRA_Sliding_Fee_Scale_with_Rates_&_Copays--Statewide_Full_Time_20251101_OEC.pdf
+    - title: AR Minimum Licensing Requirements for Child Care Centers (DCCECE, 2020) - Infant Center (item 13), Toddler Center (item 21), School Age Care (item 22)
+      href: https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020-Child-Care-centers.pdf#page=45
+    - title: Arkansas Code Annotated § 6-18-207 (Compulsory school age, kindergarten by Aug 1)
+      href: https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-6/subtitle-2/chapter-18/subchapter-2/section-6-18-207/
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
		@@ -0,0 +1 @@
		Add Arkansas School Readiness Assistance (SRA) child care subsidy program. The 4% per-family copay ceiling is computed against countable (adult) income — children's SSI and Social Security are excluded per FSU §4.3.3 — and the per-child copay used in that ceiling is clamped to the child's actual provider charge. The ESS Year-1 alt path (FSU §4.1.5.1) is gated on earned income alone exceeding the TEA limit, consistent with the regulation's "earnings alone" wording.