AACF’s tax and budget team would like to be the first (and, perhaps, only one) to wish you a Happy Tax Day! Sometimes we all forget how important our tax dollars are to the health and well-being of our families and communities. Without them, we could not drive safely down paved roads; drink clean water […]
Arkansas has dramatically increased education funding in recent years in order to meet the state Supreme Court’s mandate to provide adequate and equitable education for all students. However, overall academic achievement still lags behind that of other states and nations, and vast gaps in achievement among students of different income levels and races persist across […]
This overview offers tips to advocates on the best way to learn more about Arkansas’s share of the ARRA. It also charts the larger funding streams impacting children and families that flow to states and local communities. It does not begin to capture the full range of funds and programs under the ARRA, but provides […]
The clock is ticking in both state and federal legislative bodies on many bills that would affect children and families in Arkansas—and our legislators need to hear from you. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families’ tax and budget team has highlighted a few of these important bills below. Please contact us if you have any […]
AACF worked with our federal delegation on elements of the stimulus package, which now moves to state implementation. AACF will now work to keep track of stimulus priorities and decisions at the state level and also provide continued feedback to state and federal officials about its impact. Now AACF’s federal work turns to the federal […]
The burden of paying for statewide programs and services falls disproportionately upon low- and middle-income families – as well as small businesses that operate only in Arkansas. Meanwhile, many large corporations that take full advantage of Arkansas highways, school s, economic development incentives, and other services are no t paying their fair share. Because of […]
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families saw a year of growth in 2008 as we launched two milestone projects. First was the formation of the Arkansas Finish Line Coalition, an initiative to get health insurance for every Arkansas child. We also opened our first office outside of Little Rock in Northwest Arkansas, where we’re building […]
Arkansas lawmakers couldn’t miss dozens of child advocates as they entered the House chamber to cast a vote that will impact children for years to come.
Arkansas has done a great deal to improve data collection and fiscal and academic accountability requirements for public schools in recent years. However, the system has been ineffective in broadly disseminating much of this information to parents, or to researchers and taxpayers. Effective communication between schools and parents is critical to ensuring children’s academic success. […]
As we work to move forward, it is now more important than ever to advocate for tax policies and spending measures that lift our low-income families out of poverty as they are the ones hardest hit by the current economic downturn. This update includes a summary of three such important pieces of federal and state […]