Why Bright Sprout Matters in Arkansas
Bright Sprout was created to support NICU families everywhere. Our educational resources, practical tools, family communication app, journals, and emotional support materials are designed for parents across the United States.
But Bright Sprout began in Arkansas, and the need in our home state is especially urgent.
One in Eight Arkansas Babies Is Born Preterm
In 2024, approximately 4,289 babies were born preterm in Arkansas. That represents 12.1% of all births in the state—approximately one in every eight babies.
The national preterm birth rate was 10.4% during the same year. Arkansas received an F on the 2025 March of Dimes Report Card and ranked 47th among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. A higher ranking number represents a higher preterm birth rate.
Arkansas also ranked 51st among these 52 jurisdictions for infant mortality, placing it second from the bottom.
Behind every statistic is a family whose plans changed suddenly. Parents may find themselves standing beside an incubator, learning unfamiliar medical terms, trying to understand monitors and respiratory support, and wondering how to help their baby.
NICU Families Need More Than Medical Information
NICU teams work hard to provide excellent medical care and prepare parents to participate in their baby’s care. Even with this support, families can feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive.
Parents may need help:
Understanding common NICU equipment and terminology
Recording questions for the healthcare team
Keeping track of milestones, medications, and important updates
Communicating with relatives without repeating the same information
Finding meaningful ways to participate in their baby’s care
Preparing emotionally and practically for discharge
Supporting siblings and other family members
Processing the NICU experience after going home
These needs do not end when a baby leaves the hospital. Many families continue to have questions about feeding, development, corrected age, follow-up appointments, medications, and the emotional effects of the NICU experience.
How Bright Sprout Supports Families
Bright Sprout combines neonatal clinical experience with practical, parent-friendly support.
Resources currently include:
Plain-language NICU education
A growing online NICU Resource Library
A free NICU Survival Guide
NICU parent journals and daily tracking tools
Sibling coloring books and family resources
Milestone and affirmation cards
Discharge preparation information
The Bright Sprout family communication and organization app
The Bright Sprout app helps families organize information and stay connected during hospitalization. Families can create profiles for more than one baby, share approved updates, manage family notes, track visits, record questions, and organize discharge and medication information.
Bright Sprout does not replace a baby’s healthcare team or provide individualized medical advice. Its purpose is to reinforce education, encourage parent participation, and give families accessible tools they can revisit when they are ready.
Starting Locally and Growing Nationally
Bright Sprout’s long-term mission is nationwide, but meaningful growth begins with listening to local families and healthcare professionals.
Arkansas NICU nurses, Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, physicians, hospital leaders, foundations, and parent advocates understand the challenges facing families in our state. Their experience can help shape resources that are practical, trustworthy, and easy to use.
Bright Sprout is currently developing hospital pilot partnerships to learn:
Which resources families use most
What information parents still need
How digital tools can support bedside education
What helps parents feel more involved in their baby’s care
How resources can be introduced without creating additional work for NICU staff
What hospitals need from an ongoing family-support partnership
The goal is to build a model that works in real NICU settings and can eventually support families and hospitals throughout the country.
An Invitation to Arkansas Healthcare
and Community Leaders
Improving outcomes for Arkansas babies will require cooperation among healthcare professionals, hospitals, foundations, community organizations, and families.
Bright Sprout welcomes conversations with:
Arkansas hospitals and NICU leaders
Maternal and infant health organizations
Hospital and community foundations
NICU nurses, NNPs, physicians, and therapists
Parent-support and bereavement programs
Organizations interested in sponsoring resources for families
If you work with NICU families, we would value your perspective. Your feedback can help Bright Sprout identify missing resources, improve existing tools, and create support that fits the realities of NICU care.
Bright Sprout may have a nationwide vision, but Arkansas is home. With approximately one in eight Arkansas babies born preterm, supporting families here is an important place to begin.
To explore Bright Sprout resources, visit brightsprout.net.
To learn about the Bright Sprout app, visit app.brightsprout.net.
If you represent a hospital, foundation, healthcare organization, or community program and would like to help strengthen support for NICU families, learn more about partnering with Bright Sprout.
Sources
About the Author
Jeri Power, MSN, APRN, NNP-BC, is a board-certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner with more than 26 years of NICU experience, including bedside nursing, advanced neonatal care, and leadership in women’s and children’s services. Based in Northwest Arkansas, she founded Bright Sprout to give NICU families trustworthy education, practical tools, and compassionate support throughout their baby’s hospitalization and beyond.
