New “Public Charge” Rule Likely to Harm Children, Increase Hunger
We should all want children of immigrants to meet their full potential. It’s good for Arkansas, from the strength of our economy to our education system and community health overall.
Open Enrollment Is Here, and Many Arkansans Are Already Seeing Premiums Skyrocket
Open enrollment for 2026 marketplace coverage officially started on November 1, 2025, and will run through January 15, 2026. We are already hearing from Arkansans whose premiums are jumping – in some cases, by hundreds of dollars a month....
SNAP Back — But Not for Long: Forthcoming November SNAP relief will fade for many due to H.R.1 cuts
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps) has been featured heavily in recent headlines as the availability of November SNAP benefits — either in whole, in part, or not at all — has been in...
Preventable harm: How suspending SNAP benefits in November harms families and our communities
Note: Since this blog was originally published on October 28, the Trump administration announced on November 3, 2025, that it will comply with federal court orders and begin using contingency funds to partially pay November SNAP benefits as the...
Refusing To Measure Hunger Won’t Erase the Problem
Arkansas has the highest hunger rate in the nation. We know this because our federal government measures it — officially referred to as food insecurity — and publishes the results each year. With this data, we’re able to compare...
Arkansas Children Are Left Behind by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Child Tax Credit
No child should face the crushing effects of poverty, and an Arkansas child tax credit will make a tremendous difference.
Even Public Education Not Safe from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
While we have frequently highlighted how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slashes funding for health care and food assistance, another provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act stands to harm public education: the creation of the federal...
How and When the OBBBA will Harm Arkansans
The impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will be enormous and wide-reaching in Arkansas. Our higher poverty rates mean cuts to health care coverage and food assistance will sharply increase hardship across the state. The legislation, which...
2025 Arkansas Kids Count Coalition Champion for Children Awards
Every other year, after the regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly, the Arkansas Kids Count Coalition presents the Champion for Children Awards to highlight the power of advocacy; celebrate the great work of organizations, individuals, and legislators; and...
Congressional Budget Bill Will Strip Health Care from 15 Million Nationwide, Put Parents and Kids at Risk of Hunger
The United States House of Representatives today passed the Senate’s version of the reconciliation bill that will worsen hunger and strip health care coverage from millions of families. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed...