Too Many Arkansas Preschoolers Didn’t Receive High-Quality Education Amid Pandemic
Arkansas should commit to serving at least all low-income preschoolers. The 2021 State of Preschool Yearbook, released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at the Rutgers Graduate […]
Creating a Healthier Arkansas for Black Women
On April 12, during Black Maternal Health Week, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families hosted a forum on the current status of Black women’s health in Arkansas. This forum addressed […]
To protect mothers, Arkansas needs better postpartum health coverage now
The United States is the only developed country where the maternal mortality rate has been steadily rising. But most pregnancy-related deaths, one third of which happen between two and 12 months postpartum, are preventable.
Eliminating Needed Access to Food Programs This Summer Hurts Kids
All children and families, regardless of race, ethnicity, or where they live, deserve access to high-quality affordable foods. Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic started, families in poverty and on the […]
AACF Statement on Hutchinson’s Rejection of Federal Funds
Following Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson’s press conference, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families Executive Director Rich Huddleston issued the following statement: We are deeply disappointed in the governor’s announcement today […]
Voting will look different this spring
Since the beginning of our country there have been movements to expand the right to vote to all citizens, not just a select few. After hundreds of years of work […]
Expanded CTC Helped Keep Arkansas Families Afloat
The families of more than 61 million children – including more than 600,000 in Arkansas – benefited from the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) included in the American Rescue Plan. […]
AACF Board of Directors Announce Executive Director Stepping Down
It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that the Board of Directors announces Rich Huddleston’s departure as Executive Director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF), effective December 31, 2022. For the past 27 years, Rich has been instrumental in the organization’s efforts to improve the lives of children and families across the state of Arkansas. Rich began at AACF as the director of research and policy before becoming executive director in 2004. While we will miss him and his leadership, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Understanding the Vanderbilt Study of Tennessee Pre-K
Arkansas’s well-being depends upon the education of our state’s children. We need every child in Arkansas to have access to a world-class education.
For Black History Month, Let’s Focus on Black Excellence
Black excellence is all around us, woven as part of our American story, and that is what we should celebrate this February.