Dr. Wesley Kluck

I began the first pediatric clinic in Arkadelphia in 1984 and practiced on my own for 12 years. I have since expanded my staff and now employ four pediatricians and two pediatric nurse practitioners.  In a town this size, it's remarkable to have that kind of care available.  All of our staff members are board certified and all were trained at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  Additionally, with Arkansas Children's Hospital literally down the road in Little Rock, their helicopter can land at our hospital and transport patients by air.

About half of the births in this county take place in our local facilities.  All the pediatric care is provided by the pediatric staffing and we provide neonatal screening.  We also have one of the highest immunization rates for children in the state (but we want to be among the highest in the nation!).  Through a partnership with Henderson State Nursing School, we have also developed the "Kindergarten Roundup," a spring pre-K screening where our community's  four- and five-year-olds get a free screening for development and can get basic needs taken care of early. 

There are several different daycare opportunities for working parents.  These include traditional daycare facilities, Head Start Programs and the state's first and only 24-hour daycare center.  Additionally, ASCENT is a preschool and day treatment center for developmentally and physically disabled children. 

Henderson's School of Education offers a preschool center where they actually provide three and four-year-olds curriculum-based schooling. We are truly on the cutting edge of school-based preschool care in regards to having such an outstanding curriculum.  Many parents put their children the waiting list the day they are born!  Several local churches also provide excellent preschool services that offer a Christian-based curriculum. 

Our community is dedicated to academic excellence for our children.  The Ross Foundation, in partnership with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, provides a grant to the public schools for the nationally renowned Schools of the 21st Century Program.  Additionally, the Louisa E. Perritt Primary School is a blue-ribbon National School of Excellence.