ARKids First turns 20!

Twenty years ago today, on March 10, 1997, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee signed ARKids First into law. ARKids was Arkansas’s state-funded health insurance program, and bringing it to life was a monumental moment for kids and families in our...

ICYMI: Weekly Legislative Update Feb. 27-March 3

HEALTH: HB1465, a bill to freeze enrollment in the Medicaid expansion program for low-income adults, passed out of the House of Representatives this week. The bill, which prevents any newly eligible people from enrolling in the health coverage program...

The fate of quality pre-K is in YOUR hands!

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) has worked with policymakers and engaged the public across the state on the need for quality pre-K for almost 25 years. We’ve done the research and evaluated outside studies in Arkansas and...

2016 Annual Report

What a year 2016 was for AACF! We had not one, but three legislative sessions during the first half of 2016, including the regular fiscal session and two special sessions on health care reform and funding for highways and...

Paid Leave: A giant first step for Arkansas

Today Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a bill SB125 (now Act182) that expands access to paid maternity leave for Arkansas state employees. This monumental change puts Arkansas ahead of most other states, especially those in our region, in providing...