Note: This blog is fifth in a series of posts covering the findings in the 2017 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. Although employment is on the rise in Arkansas, a new report released last week by...
Note: This blog is third in a series of posts covering the findings in the 2017 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, featuring new numbers...
Note: This blog is second in a series of posts covering the findings in the 2017 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. According to the annual Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Arkansas...
Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, a comprehensive, 50-state look at child welfare. This year, Arkansas ranks 47th place in economic well-being, a staggering fall from 36th place last year. We have...
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...
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...
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...
This was a fairly lively week at the State Capitol. In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights and a few things to look out for next week: FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY: On Thursday, Governor Asa Hutchinson...
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...
A significant victory for anti-hunger advocates (the defeat of HB1035) was tempered by the introduction of a new bill (HB1462), which could be even more damaging to families who rely on food assistance. HB1462 puts families at risk of...