According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), House Bill 1585 would target personal income tax relief to Arkansas taxpayers who make over $155,000 per year (the top five percent of earners). This group would receive one-half (50 percent) of the total benefits resulting from the tax cut. That’s compared […]

This publication describes how far Arkansas has come in reforming the juvenile justice system and lays out a plan for moving forward. The state’s laws, regulations, and practices must align with its commitment to a system of juvenile justice that will effectively serve youth for the long term. A thoughtful, engaged, and community-driven approach can […]

The past year at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families has been one of expansion and innovation. Improved access to early childhood education has always been something that we’ve worked toward at AACF. This year we expanded our education work to two important issues that affect our children: improving grade-level reading for children in the […]

Arkansas has an opportunity to strengthen its Medicaid program and stimulate economic activity statewide by extending coverage to an estimated 250,000 uninsured Arkansans, including 10,000 children. Arkansas can cover parents and other adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is about $31,800 for a family of four. The […]

Black students in Arkansas schools are more likely to be suspended and receive corporal punishment than their white counterparts, according to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF). In 2012 black students were given out-of-school suspension more than five times as often as white students, in-school-suspension almost three times as often, […]

Edited by Terry K. Peterson, Ph.D., is a groundbreaking compendium of studies, reports and commentaries by more than 100 thought leaders including community leaders, elected officials, educators, researchers, advocates and other prominent authors. This powerful collection of nearly 70 articles presents bold and persuasive evidence-as well as examples of effective practices, programs and partnerships-that demonstrate […]

This publication talks about how locking up non-violent youthful offenders is costly and ineffective. Using community-based alternatives to incarceration – like education, job training, drug treatment, and rehabilitation programs – saves the state $41,786 per youth and reduces their chances of ending up back in the juvenile justice system.

It’s the right thing to do. More than 240,000 Arkansas uninsured adults will now have health care coverage.Without it, low-income, uninsured adults who are currently not eligible for Medicaid will have no health care coverage option. 80,000 uninsured Arkansas parents below 138 percent of poverty ($31,800 for a family of four) will now have health […]

The evidence is clear: a young person’s failure to read at grade level by the end of third grade creates a massive barrier to educational success. It is a key force in determining whether a student will go on to graduate from high school, attend and graduate from college, and achieve future success in the […]

Medicaid works for Arkansas. It helps our disabled neighbors, elderly Arkansans, and thousands of children in low-income homes get care when they need it most. According to DHS officials, Medicaid will face a $138 million state budget shortfall in 2014 after help from $160 million in new state dollars ($70 million of which will be […]