The child poverty rate in Arkansas, now at 26.8 percent, is higher than the national average and shows a disturbing upward trend that’s likely to continue as the state experiences the effects of the recession. Over the last ten years for which data is available, the poverty rate has increased by just over two percent. The economic well-being of our children is an important issue for obvious reasons, but child poverty has both short- and long-term impacts that are less apparent (i.e. it can create significant costs to our health and criminal justice systems and negatively impact the economy).