NAF awarded $15M grant from the Walton Family Foundation to accelerate multi-year plan to double its network. Three-Year, Catalytic Investment Will Advance a Six-Year Goal to Grow to 1,200 Career Academies by 2031, Providing Access to Career-Connected Learning for Thousands More Students Nationwide New York, NY, February 11, 2026 -( PR.com )- NAF, a national leader in career-connected education that expands access to real-world learning opportunities for high school students, is thrilled to be the recipient of a new, $15 million, three-year grant from the Walton Family Foundation. This catalytic investment will accelerate NAF's multi-year plan to double the size of its national network, a measurable, six-year goal that aims to reach 1,200 academies by 2031 and create 115,000 new student seats. Aligned with NAF's long-standing mission to expand access to opportunities for high school students and their communities, the Walton Family Foundation's generous investment will enable NAF to substantially grow its national network of career academies over the coming years. Through this expansion, NAF will deepen its impact in classrooms and local economies alike - helping more young people gain the skills, experiences, and professional connections needed to succeed after high school. The grant will support a focused set of initiatives designed to accelerate high-quality growth and amplify student impact: - Launch New Career Academies - Though a Year of Planning process, NAF will support the design and launch of industry-aligned academies in high-demand fields, helping communities establish employer partnerships and preparing educators to develop rigorous curricula and meaningful work-based learning experiences. - Develop Tools and Resources for Educators - NAF will invest in new curriculum, tools, and resources that help local educators to deliver high-quality, career-connected learning experiences. This work will include strengthening partnerships with other national organizations focused on advancing high school career pathways. - Advance the Field of High School Redesign - The investment will expand NAF's research and evaluation capacity to measure and share student outcomes, including credential attainment, postsecondary enrollment and completion, and employment, and to publish findings that inform practice and policy across the field. "The Walton Family Foundation's investment is a powerful catalyst for NAF's next phase of growth and impact," said Lisa Dughi, Chief Executive Officer of NAF. "Grounded in our shared commitment to expanding access to opportunity, this support will allow us to grow our network meaningfully, reach more students and communities, and ensure young people are equipped with the skills, experiences, and confidence to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. It also invites more intentional collaboration with employers and partners focused on strengthening future talent pipelines and scaling high-quality, career-connected learning." About NAF: NAF is a national education nonprofit that brings schools and businesses together to prepare students for college, careers, and economic viability. About the Walton Family Foundation: The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X. Courtney Savoia Baldovin 201-407-8513 https://naf.org

E8 network takes the stage at state, national events to elevate early childhood efforts in Arkansas. Early November 2025 brought two important opportunities for Excel by Eight and its partners to share Arkansas's early childhood work with both state and national audiences. From the Walton Family Foundation's Arkansas Early Childhood Care and Education Initiative Convening in Bentonville to the Reach Out and Read and Nurture Connection National Summit in Washington, D.C., E8 leaders highlighted how communities across the state are strengthening early learning, family engagement, and health outcomes for children and mothers. Arkansas Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Initiative Convening | Bentonville, Arkansas Excel by Eight joined partners from across the state in Bentonville for the Arkansas ECCE Initiative Convening, A Bright Start for Every Child, hosted by the Walton Family Foundation. The gathering focused on strengthening collaboration and sharing new ideas to improve early care and education in Arkansas. During the On the Horizon session, E8 executive director Angela Duran shared about a partnership with LENA and the University of Arkansas Early Care and Education Projects to evaluate tools that will demonstrate a positive impact on child outcomes in Arkansas's developing statewide early childhood accountability system. She explained how CLASS, the classroom observation tool being piloted by the Department of Education, measures the quality of teacher - child interactions and why those interactions matter for early learning. Angela also highlighted LENA Grow, a coaching and professional development model that uses data on verbal interactions to help educators strengthen those interactions. LENA Grow has been piloted in Independence County and is expanding to 400 classrooms in additional regions as part of a randomized controlled trial evaluation being conducted by the University of Virginia. Other Arkansas partners contributed to the convening as well. Jamie Ward, president of Curricula Concepts, participated in a breakout session featuring the Be Well Care Well model, which supports the well-being of early childhood educators and reflects the broader statewide commitment to strengthening the early childhood workforce. Reach Out and Read + Nurture Connection National Summit | Washington, D.C. That same week, several members of the E8 team traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Reach Out and Read and Nurture Connection National Summit. They joined leaders from across the country to discuss how Arkansas communities are strengthening Early Relational Health, which focuses on the strong, positive connections between young children and the adults who care for them. During a panel, communities director Jessi Rice Woods joined Conway County family leader Princess Johnson on stage to share more about E8's work at both the state and local levels. They highlighted Excel by Eight's role in launching the Early Development Instrument as a bridge between health and education, Conway County's parent engagement work through conversation cafés, and partnerships in Batesville that expanded home visiting services through Maternal Life360. At the same summit, Anna Strong, executive director of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Excel by Eight Foundations' health policy lead, joined the policy plenary to highlight recent policy changes that are making HealthySteps more sustainable in Arkansas. She explained how new Medicaid payments for universal developmental screenings and maternal depression screenings are helping clinics deliver recommended care at well-child visits. She also noted that Act 513 now provides a supplemental payment to practices implementing HealthySteps, helping cover the cost of a HealthySteps specialist. These changes, shaped through years of collaborative effort, are allowing more clinics across the state to adopt HealthySteps and reach more infants, toddlers, and families. In addition to the representatives from Excel by Eight, Arkansas had a notable presence at the national summit. Amy Stephenson from the Arkansas Children's Care Network and Dr. Chad Rodgers from AFMC also highlighted the successes happening in Arkansas. Together, they reinforced how community-driven work and cross-sector partnerships continue to strengthen early childhood systems across the state. Adena white. Stay connected with Excel by Eight. Explore stories and updates from across the E8 network as Excelby8 work to strengthen the grid and build a strong foundation for Arkansas children and families.