Welfare reform is now 4 years old in Arkansas. In April 1997, the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation establishing the Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) program, the state’s version of welfare reform. The TEA program was passed in response to 1996 federal legislation that created the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program and […]

In May, Pulaski County Chancellor Collins Kilgore issued a long-anticipated decision in the Lake View School funding case. As expected, Judge Kilgore’s decision held that the state’s current school funding formula is unfair to poorer school districts and provides inadequate funding for the education of the state’s children. The case will not only shape the […]

Included in this newsletter: Access to quality child care must be part of the continuum of lifelong learning opportunities available to Arkansans of all ages. The cost of child care comprises 18%-24% of the basic daily living needs facing Arkansas families. In some cases, the cost of child care equals over half of a working […]

Homeless children and youth face barriers to enrollment, attendance, and success in school that other children do not confront. These barriers include transportation, official records requirements, and access to special programs. The Stewart B. McKinney Act of 1987 mandates that states receiving federal McKinney funds eliminate these educational barriers so that homeless children and youth […]

Investing in the health of our children is a necessary investment in our future. Regular access to health care supports healthy growth and development in numerous ways. Children are more likely to maintain a schedule of immunizations; developmental delays are more likely to be diagnosed and monitored; and childhood illnesses are less likely to have […]

ANYONE WHO HAS HELD an infant or young child in her arms understands how precious and vulnerable children are in their early years of life. Over the years, researchers have discovered many of the ways children learn and develop, as well as what is important in the early training they receive. Recently, new scientific studies […]

Medicaid is America’s public financing program for providing health and long-term care coverage to low-income and disabled people.  The program covers over 40 million nationwide and over 415,000 in Arkansas. Learn more about Medicaid in Arkansas by downloading this bulletin, made possible by a grant from the Daughters of Charity, West Central Regional Foundation in […]