The pre-K clock is ticking
The last funding increase for pre-K in Arkansas kicked in on the first day of fiscal year 2008, which would have been July 1, 2007. For a program that’s proven to be such a powerful tool, that’s way too...
News
Corporate loopholes are costing Arkansas
Arkansas is losing millions in state corporate income taxes every year because of holes in our corporate tax laws. In particular, we lack a “combined reporting” law that would help ensure that large companies pay their fair share of...
Child poverty in northwest Arkansas
We’re releasing a new report today on child poverty in Northwest Arkansas, in conjunction with the United Way of Northwest Arkansas’s Children in Poverty Summit. Growth in the number of children in poverty has outpaced the population overall, and...
Child Poverty in Northwest Arkansas
Even during relatively “good” economic times in Northwest Arkansas, child poverty has grown faster than the overall population. As our region has grown more successful, many of our children have fallen behind. While the region’s poverty percentage is lower than that of most of...
Kids Count Day at the Capitol – The budget is a moral document
Remarks by AACF Executive Director Rich Huddleston at the Kids Count Day press conference: The state budget is a moral document. It represents Arkansas’s commitment to investing in the future of our children and families and ensuring that all...
Changing how we tax capital gains
A relatively small number of wealthy Arkansans who make money from the sale of investments reaped the benefits from the capital gains tax cuts passed in 2013. These expensive tax cuts, however, are likely to be scaled back. Today...
AACF sits down with Tom-FM
AACF Health Policy Director Marquita Little, Education Policy Director Jerri Derlikowski, and Development Director Mallory Van Dover sat down with Tom-FM 94.9 to talk about Soup Sunday and what to watch out for during this legislative session. You can...
Governor’s tax plan leaves out poorest Arkansans
The governor’s new tax cut plan is a step in the right direction for tax fairness, but leaves out the poorest 20 percent of Arkansans and raises concerns about how the lost revenue will impact vital programs for children...
AACF statement on Gov. Hutchinson’s Private Option speech
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families would like to applaud Gov. Hutchinson for laying out a pragmatic way forward on the Private Option, guaranteeing Arkansans affordable coverage, giving hospitals and health care providers more certainty, and protecting the state...
Correcting the record on pre-K
Misinformation about the Arkansas state-funded pre-K program is being distributed. Two false claims are being made. Claims have been made that a report produced by the Office of Education Policy, University of Arkansas, indicates that the Arkansas state-funded pre-K...
Wonky Word Wednesday: restorative justice
Dealing with students that have behavioral issues has become a challenge for school districts across the country. Rather than helping students make amends with their issue – a concept known as restorative justice, the “go-to” discipline response appears to...