Check out our Flickr and YouTube pages for photos and video of some very cute kids and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan during his "Courage in the Classroom" bus tour in Hamburg yesterday. He was visiting one of Arkansas' model Arkansas Better Chance pre-k programs.

Congratulations to Laura Kellams, AACF's Northwest Arkansas Director. She was named to Northwest Arkansas Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list!

Congress is set to address the tax rates of every American this year with the focus on whether or not to extend tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 under President Bush. President Obama has proposed an extension of those tax cuts that affect 98 percent of Americans. Under his proposal the tax rate for America's highest earners - those making more than $250,000 annually - would return to Clinton Era rates. President Obama also proposes a permanent extension of the modifications made to the refundable Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which were part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Yesterday the Senate passed child nutrition authorization, sending the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307) to the House for their approval. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families thanks Sen. Lincoln for her efforts to lead this bill through the Senate. She made a commitment to seeing this bill get passed and fought hard to make it happen.

The U.S. House of Representatives must now pass this bill before it can moved to the President's desk. The fight continues, and we will be asking you once again to help us encourage our Congressional delegation to pass this much-needed legislation.

Since beginning our discussion on health reform, we've referenced the new health exchange system that will be established in every state by January of 2014. But what exactly are exchanges and what impact will they have on the healthcare system?

Normally when the public or politicians talk about economic recovery they focus on unemployment and consumer spending. However, the rile of state budget cuts are largely ignored, yet are intimately tied to both unemployment and consumer spending. State cuts are also the biggest concern related to economic recovery for many economists.

As my college graduation looms in the not-so-distant future, I find myself pondering things like where I am going to live, whether or not I will be able to find a job in this economy, and whether or not I should take a year off or go straight to graduate school. Luckily for me, the recent passage of health care reform means that I don't have to worry about how I will be able to afford insurance. A provision in the new healthcare reform bill, which goes into effect in September, allows young adults to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26. (Some insurers have already put this into place). This means that if I, or any other recent college graduate, can't find a job that can offer health insurance, I'll still have access to affordable health insurance through my family.

July 2010: Unemployment assistance, child nutrition and more

Arkansas is ranked at the top of all states for having the most children at risk of food insecurity. Nearly 25 percent of Arkansas children are at risk of being hungry, according to research conducted by Feeding America from 2006 to 2008. Arkansas also has the fastest growing rate of food insecurity since the last study, with a 6 percent increase.

We’re back again with more exciting news about healthcare in Arkansas. We know it will take years to implement all of the changes to our system via health reform. But did you know that there are also immediate benefits that will accessible this year, including incentives for small businesses?